UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The injury carousel just will not stop for the New York Red Bulls.
Already missing several key players because of injury, the battered Red Bulls might now be without one, if not both, of their Designated Players for Sunday’s trip to take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium (7 pm ET, Galavision).
“It will probably be a late decision with Rafa [Márquez] with his calf,” Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe told reporters after Friday morning’s training session. “Thierry [Henry] also we know that with the turf and his calf problems, he’s definitely a question mark, too, for the Sunday game.”
Both Henry and Márquez fully participated in Friday morning’s training session but neither spoke to the media afterwards, which in the past has indicated that they won't participate in the upcoming fixture.
The health of their Designated Players is not the only new injury concerns for New York. According to Backe, defender Heath Pearce is scheduled to miss at least two more weeks with a "soft" tear in his right hamstring, while midfielder Jan Gunnar Solli’s status is unknown due to a calf problem.
“[Solli] will probably have a scan today,” said Backe. “If it looks OK, then he will be available for the Sunday game, but we’ll have to wait for the scan.”
It was not all bad news on the injury front. Markus Holgersson did running drills for the first time since injuring his ankle more than two weeks ago and Backe said there is a chance the center back could suit up for Sunday’s match depending on how his body responds.
There was all positive news on midfielder Teemu Tainio, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since late March. Tainio has been limited to doing running drills off to the side for the last couple of weeks, but he may soon make his return to the practice field.
“I also heard today that Teemu responded very well to the injuries,” said Backe. “Perhaps at the end of the month he can be back in training, and that is a bonus for us.”
Franco Panizo covers the New York Red Bulls for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at Franco8813@gmail.com.
