The first new real injury of 2014 has struck D.C. United. The big winner (well...) is Chris Korb, who figures to be the Black-and-Red's top reserve at both fullback spots. He's been dealing with a bone bruise for basically the entire preseason and reportedly "plateaued" in his recovery. To address the issue, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery today to repair an articular cartilage. He is expected to miss the next first three to four weeks.
As I said, Korb occupies the second line of the depth chart at both right and left fullback, which means that if Sean Franklin or Christian should miss games for injury or suspension (like, say, a red card suspension) United will be very quickly pushed toward using names nobody wants to see on the field at this point. Nothing against Jalen Robinson or Taylor Kemp; they could both prove to be very good MLS players at some point in the future (in fact, for Robinson, at least, I'm expecting that). (EDIT: Not to mention the fact that Robinson is on the shelf for roughly the same duration with a hamstring injury.) But at present, they aren't starting-quality stand-ins to nearly the extent Korb is, which is why some have speculated that newcomer Nana Attakora, who played exactly zero minutes in preseason himself, may be the guy we see step into the fullback position if Franklin or Christian are forced to miss time.
It's certainly a less-than-ideal way to go about starting the season, but we're nowhere near a panic-worthy situation at this point. All the same, get well soon, Tiny Socks. And to Sean and Christian: stay healthy, and play smart.