The knocks are starting to pile up for Major League Soccer teams entering their eighth weekend of the season, but for four teams in particular, isolated injuries loom large. For Houston, Montréal, New England, and New York, those fitness issues could mean the absence of game-defining talents – players whose include could reverse prolonged slumps or address matchup problems second string players will otherwise have to solve.
Here’s a quick look at the absences that could influence this weekend’s results:
Brad Davis, Houston Dynamo – Davis left at halftime of Houston’s Apr. 5 visit from Dallas having assisted on Ricardo Clark’s goal four minutes earlier. The Dynamo haven’t scored since, a streak that reached 319 minutes after their mid-week loss at New York. Returning home after a three-game road trip, Houston will hope to take advantage of the winless Timbers, but if a right ankle injury keeps the Dynamo captain out of the 18, Dom Kinnear’s team may not be able to exploit that suspect Portland defense.
José Gonçalves, New England Revolution – Jay Heaps’ team missed the 2013 Defender of the Year in Chicago, where Andrew Farrell had trouble containing Quincy Amarikwa. On Saturday, New England welcomes Sporting Kansas City to Gillette, with the tenacity of Dom Dwyer and service of Graham Zusi sure to give its central pairing problems. If Gonçalves’s right quadriceps injury keeps him sidelined for a second straight week (and his return is doubtful), A.J. Soares will have to take command on the myriad of passes Zusi and Sal Zizzo are destined to fire behind the Revolution defense.
Kelyn Rowe, New England Revolution – Revs fans don’t need to be reminded that their most creative player’s been missing, but it’s something that gets overlooked when you’re looking at the team from a distance. For example, I didn’t even mention the former Bruin in this weekend’s match reaction. In his absence, Daigo Kobayashi has been fine, and Lee Nguyen’s stepped up, but New England needs to get their puppeteer back in the lineup. Like Gonçalves, he’s unlikely play against Sporting.
Hernan Bernardello, Montréal Impact – Frank Klopas’s winless Impact need all the help they can get, and while their Argentine Designated Player’s yet to have a major impact make a major contribution this season, the ideal version of this team has Bernardello playing a decisive role. At this point, Montréal may need an ideal performance to break into the win column. Right now, Bernardello’s return is questionable.
Tim Cahill, New York Red Bulls – Columbus has a one of the more effective central defense pairings in Major League Soccer, but one thing neither Michael Parkhurst nor Giancarlo Gonzalez offer is size. Get Lloyd Sam behind Waylon Francis, have him hit early crosses for Cahill, and the Red Bulls have a formula for knocking off the Crew. Of everybody on this list, Cahill is most likely to see action on Saturday, though it’s unclear whether he’ll return in midfield or at the expense of Bradley Wright-Phillips.
