Wallace and Pena both out for trip to Seattle
Craig Stouffer at the Washington Examiner is reporting that left back Rodney Wallace has a fractured fibula, an injury picked up after preventing a shot by Alvaro Saborio of Real Salt Lake. Wallace will apparently be out for at least 6 weeks, which is quite a blow when you consider that our defense was finally moving in the right direction.
Veteran center back Juan Manuel Pena will also miss Thursday's game due to a groin strain (which explains his early departure against RSL).
Look for Jordan Graye to fill the gap left by Wallace, with Devon McTavish stepping in at right back. Julius James figures to replace Pena in central defense. Those players have been doing well of late, but the trip to Seattle is going to be a huge test for what is a young group.
almost 2 years ago
ChestRockwell
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Marc Burch
The original word on Burch was that he would be returning in July. Haven’t heard anything lately, but this would be a great time for him to get healthy!
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
by Martin Shatzer on Jun 8, 2010 10:27 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
not sure...
Think Burch would be a step down from the current players… fine for depth and I do like his crosses but he always made me nervous…
Burch gives us depth in two positions, at least – he can cover left fullback and a more central position, too. Depending on whether Graye can figure out how to get forward (and recover) on the left side as well as he can on the right, I imagine a healthy Burch would be an option outside. Otherwise, it seems like we’ll eventually have enough CBs in the infirmary that he and McTavish will be manning the central defense… now there’s a scary thought.
I’d prefer to see Graye over Burch at left back, but you can’t deny that Onalfo will give Burch plenty of consideration. For example, the lack of experience the back four as a whole possesses at this point would be in Burch’s favor.
It’s also, at least to me, less about Burch or Graye than it is Burch or McTavish. At this point, Graye is first choice until Namoff returns to fitness. McTavish, on the other hand, really needs to use this window to take hold of a spot on the team and prove that he belongs. He and Burch are in the group of players that can’t quite be sure of his spot once the summer window opens. For those two, Khumalo, and possibly even Castillo, the clock is ticking.
by ChestRockwell on Jun 8, 2010 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions
At the very beginning of the preseason, it was looking like Onalfo’s preferred starting lineup was going to be Wallace-Burch-Jakovic-James. Obviously a lot has changed since then. Pena and Talley have been added. Some think Rice might be the future. James has been proven to be strictly a CB. But at the very least, it tells me that Onalfo ranks Burch ahead of McTavish.
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
by Martin Shatzer on Jun 8, 2010 9:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I wouldn’t rule out further James appearances at right back. I don’t think it’s the right fit for him, but Onalfo seems to value speed and willingness to go forward over just about everything else in his outside backs. That also would indicate that Burch might not be someone Onalfo likes at left back (though we might see plenty of him centrally, which is something I’d rather not have to go through again).
Onalfo had both of them warming up when Wallace went down, and he opted for McTavish, who came in and played pretty well. That choice says to me that McTavish has improved his standing in recent weeks. Is it enough to keep his spot when Burch comes back? It’ll be interesting to see how Onalfo handles this one.
by ChestRockwell on Jun 9, 2010 2:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Emilio should start putting some serious balls in the back of the net
If he wants one of those fancy Mexican teams to sign him.
by Brendanukkah on Jun 8, 2010 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Looks pretty unlikely at this point
Emilio’s got about 6 weeks left on his deal (signed 4/28/10). He’s got 2 goals, but one was a PK he had nothing to do with winning. He picked up a hip flexor strain once his fitness work stepped up, and he’s generally struck me as a bit short of proper fitness when he’s gotten into games. His play against RSL was shot-happy, reminding me of how he approached games during his 2 scoring slumps last year.
Stranger things have happened. Herculez Gomez went to Mexico after being unable to cut it as a forward in MLS (which prompted all that time as a wide midfielder), and promptly scored his way onto the World Cup team. Also at Puebla was the chubby Carlos Ruiz, who still got decent minutes there in spite of being well past his sell-by date.
by ChestRockwell on Jun 9, 2010 2:40 AM EDT up reply actions
He’s starting to get back into light exercise now, though I’d guess he’s got a little ways to go (if the public warmup before the Milan friendly is any indication).
They're coming.
by Bald Pollack on Jun 8, 2010 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
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