WASHINGTON – Despite taking a handful of breaks to work with trainers and having his left shoulder wrapped in ice following the conclusion of D.C. United's Wednesday morning training session, Dwayne De Rosario said he expects to play Sunday against Philadelphia.
HIGHLIGHTS: SKC 2, DC 1
After missing his first match of the year in D.C.’s 2-1 loss against Sporting Kansas City last weekend, United’s captain seemed in good spirits underneath cloudy skies at the training fields near RFK Stadium.
“It’s feeling better,” he said of his shoulder. “I’m fine right now, so I’m good.”
De Rosario didn’t travel with the team to Kansas City and had to back out of the Canadian national team’s friendly Wednesday night against Trinidad and Tobago. De Rosario was one of three D.C. forwards – Hamdi Salihi and Maicon Santos – on the injury report for Saturday’s loss.
“I definitely couldn’t participate physically [against Kansas City],” said De Rosario, who injured his shoulder against Columbus earlier this month. "Challenges and everything like that, I decided it was best to take the time to rest."
De Rosario has started 176 of the 187 matches he’s played in during his career and has logged less than 21 games in a season just once in his career.
This year, the Scarborough, Ontario, native had started all 21 of D.C.’s MLS matches before last weekend, and also played in Canada’s World Cup qualifiers and the MLS All-Star Game. He is tied for second in MLS with 10 assists this season and sits two goals shy of 100 for his career.
“It’s difficult, especially not being able to travel with the team," he said. "It was my first game off this year … I never really had a rest. I never want to rest this way, but it was an opportunity for me [to] kind of relax and get my legs back under me and heal my shoulder."
A healthy De Rosario seems imperative to bolster United’s ailing front line during an upcoming stretch where D.C. will play five matches in 13 days. The onslaught begins Sunday against the Union at RFK on, as it turns out, Dwayne De Rosario bobble head night.
