Injuries to Taylor Twellman and Gabriel Badilla have left New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol with two significant holes to fill before the season opener on March 21.
Twellman didn't travel with the Revolution on their trip to North Carolina because of a sore neck after participating sparingly in the Foxborough, Mass. and Austin, Texas portions of the prepartions. Twellman collided with former Los Angeles goalkeeper Steve Cronin last August and has dealt with lingering effects ever since.
Doctors said last week that a vertebrae at the base of Twellman's skull was knocked out of alignment in the collision. Twellman will do exercises to strengthen the muscles around his vertebrae to help alleviate the problem, a process that doctors hope will have Twellman back on the field in two to four weeks.
The date of Badilla's return remains cloudy. He has missed almost the entire preseason with a strained lower back and hasn't resumed full training with the team. Jay Heaps and rookie Darrius Barnes have patrolled central defense as the Revs try to acquire an African-based defender to bolster the back line.
"We prepare to have everyone fit and healthy," Nicol said. "The biggest thing we want to have is choice. When you have Twellman and Gabby out, you feel like you have fewer choices."
While Badilla will be missed because the team lacks options in central defense after Michael Parkhurst's departure, Twellman's loss will hurt even more.
As the Revs prepare to switch to a 4-4-2 formation in 2009, Twellman's hold-up play is crucial to how the Revolution want to attack and his absence may force a reassessment. With Twellman in the fold, the Revs were more likely to play a 4-4-1-1 with Steve Ralston operating in the space behind Twellman. Without him, there is some uncertainty, especially with Ralston fighting a quadriceps injury.
"It's a huge deal that Taylor's still not able to play," Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph said. "It has impacted a lot of the guys. It gives some guys a chance to step up, like Kheli [Dube] and Kenny [Mansally]. These are guys who have been given the chance for some playing time during preseason. Hopefully, one of them can give us that added bonus."
Dube will be asked to shoulder more of Twellman's responsibilities while the 99-goal striker remains out of the lineup. Dube said he is working on his target and distribution play to help fill Twellman's shoes. Mansally provides another option, but he may be better suited to a role that allows him to use his pace.
Nicol said he has faith that his squad can paper over the cracks until Twellman and Badilla get healthy.
"We have players that are capable of playing there," Nicol said. "That's the one thing you have a squad for. If Taylor doesn't play, someone else can step in and play. We have players who can step in."
Two sides to Serioux: Toronto FC head coach John Carver got a glimpse of the downside of new central defender Adrian Serioux in Saturday's 2-1 exhibition victory over USL-1 club Charleston Battery in the Carolina Challenge Cup.
Serioux donned the red and white for the first time in a game situation and promptly picked up a pair of first half yellow cards to earn his walking papers. A strong and hard tackler, Serioux has a penchant for indulging in rashness rather than steadiness from time to time.
For a TFC club in desperate need of central defensive leadership after dealing Tyrone Marshall to Seattle and watching Marco Velez struggle to adapt to MLS last season, Serioux will need to focus on keeping himself on the field. The options behind him -- Velez will likely partner him to start the season, with the young and inexperienced Nana Attakora-Gyan and defensive midfielder Kevin Harmse also in the frame as cover -- indicate that Serioux can ill afford to miss time.
If the Canadian international can tame his wild side, Toronto will benefit from a player with significant overseas experience and ample talent, according to TFC captain Jim Brennan.
"He's going to bring a lot to the team," Brennan said. "He's coming home and he's excited about that. He's a guy who has played at high levels, both in England and over here. He's a leader and he brings a big presence. He's a big, solid defender."
Two tussle for one spot in K.C.: Central defenders are also front and center in Kansas City where a battle is being waged between Matt Besler and Aaron Hohlbein to partner Jimmy Conrad in the season opener against Toronto FC.
First-round draft pick Besler might be more of a natural fit there, according to Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo, because he's left footed and complements the right-footed Conrad. But Besler lacks Hohlbein's experience as a third year player and Onalfo said Hohlbein came into camp with a lot of confidence.
Besler and Hohlbein have essentially split time partnering Conrad during preseason as Onalfo tries to figure out which of the two players will get the nod to start the season.
"It's a matter of seeing who fits in best with our team," Onalfo said.
Injuries ensure status quo in Columbus: Drastic changes weren't likely in Columbus after Sigi Schmid decamped for Seattle and assistant Robert Warzycha took charge. A pair of injuries will ensure the status quo will remain to start the season.
Scottish midfielder Adam Moffat suffered a setback in his recovery from the left knee injury that sidelined him for most of last season and told the Columbus Dispatch he was likely to miss at least the first two games of the season. Moffat started 2008 in the role Brad Evans filled so well before departing for Seattle in the expansion draft. Now that task will fall to Emmanuel Ekpo, a more attack-minded option who should add a bit of pace and panache in central midfield.
Pat Noonan will also miss time after wrenching his back while moving, according to the Dispatch. Noonan's herniated disc could keep him out for up to two months, a blow for a player hoping to carve out more playing time after a stop-start half-season with the Crew in 2008.
United can only go up from here: D.C. United didn't have much luck last season as injuries ravaged the team and impacted its playoff chances. From the looks of Saturday's 3-0 loss to Real Salt Lake in the opener of the Carolina Challenge Cup, that luck may not have improved despite the offseason layoff.
United lost Fred (hamstring), Santino Quaranta (hamstring) and Louis Crayton (hip flexor) to injuries and saw new signings Dejan Jakovic and Anthony Peters both ejected.
Quaranta told The Washington Post that he expected to miss a couple of weeks and expressed disappointment that he picked up yet another hamstring injury after suffering through a similar problem last season.
United can ill afford to lose any of those three players for an extended period of time, but Crayton's loss would be acutely felt. United currently has second-year stopper James Thorpe and rookie Milos Kocic in camp and recently swapped a conditional SuperDraft pick in 2010 for Los Angeles goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Wicks will provide cover, but his play for the Galaxy last season suggests he is not a long-term solution should Crayton miss significant time.
Amended ruling means 'keeper competition in N.Y.: MLS Commissioner Don Garber upheld an appeal from the MLS Players Union on Monday and allowed New York goalkeeper Jon Conway to practice with the Red Bulls once the season starts.
Conway had been barred from practicing with the team while serving the first six games of a 10-game suspension imposed when he violated the MLS Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) Policy last season.
With four games left to serve on his ban, Conway can use the practice time he'll now have to stake a claim to oust Danny Cepero from the No. 1 shirt in time for the Apr. 18 home game against Real Salt Lake.
Kicking off the season with Jim: Chicago took time away from a whirlwind preseason -- the itinerary includes stops in Florida, Mexico, California and Arizona -- to inject a little humor into its preseason preparations.
Comedian and television star Jim Belushi will headline the Fire's 2009 Season Kickoff Luncheon on March 24. The annual event serves as the opening salvo for the season and raises funds for Chicago's FireWorks for Kids Foundation.
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