HANOVER, N.J. – The season may only be one week old, but the New York Red Bulls are already dealing with some injury concerns.
Luckily, there is some good news on the horizon.
In Sunday’s home loss to Toronto FC, midfielder Lloyd Sam suffered an apparent left ankle injury in the 66th minute. The Ghanaian winger tried to continue on, but head coach Jesse Marsch eventually subbed him off, replacing him with forward Antatole Abang in the 73rd minute.
His absence would be a big blow to a New York side in search of their first win, but Sam appears to be healing nicely, and should be ready to go for Saturday’s clash with the Montreal Impact.
“I felt like I could’ve stayed on actually,” Sam said after training. “I was limping around a bit, but I feel a lot better with a couple days of rest. It’s an old problem that came back. It’s nothing new, but I’m good.”
Sam is not the only attacking threat on the comeback trail, as Gonzalo Veron continues to work his way back to full fitness. The Argentine missed the season opener after suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of New York’s preseason finale against the Jacksonville Armada.
On Wednesday, Veron trained separately from the rest of the squad as he continues to make strides in his effort to return to full fitness, but Marsch wouldn’t commit to a season debut for the Designated Player in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
“We’re a little bit day-to-day with Gonzalo,” Marsch said. “We’re holding out hope, but we’re not sure yet. There’s a chance he could be ready.”
Ronald Zubar, who also suffered an injury during preseason, started and played 85 minutes in Sunday’s match at Red Bull Arena; and while playing on Montreal’s turf is far from ideal, Marsch isn’t worried about it affecting the status of his players.
“Ronald’s ready to go,” he added. “We’re not too worried about the turf. We’ll treat it like any other game.”
