By BRIAN LEWIS
While Red Bull midfielder Seth Stammler has already been ruled out for Saturdayâs game, team captain Claudio Reyna _ listed as questionable _ sounds like he might miss the Kansas City tilt as well.
They got defender Andrew Boyens cleared to play; but that won’t help their shorthanded midfield.
âI think a realistic target for (Reyna) will be two weeks time,ââ said coach Juan Carlos Osorio. â(Stammler is) a similar situation, if weâre optimistic I think he will be available in two weeks time.ââ
Reyna came out of the game in Toronto at halftime with a calf injury, and sat out Saturdayâs 2-1 win in Los Angeles.
âItâs coming along. Itâs one of those things we just have to make sure itâs right, where it is right under the calf muscle. I wouldnât say itâs coming along slower, but itâs not exactly where I want it to be,ââ Reyna said. âI want to get it right, and speaking with the doctors they said donât do something where you might miss five games. Thatâs where weâre at.ââ
Stammler sat out the Galaxy tilt as well with a back injury, and has already been ruled out for Saturday. Osorio went with his customary 4-4-2 on the road, starting rookie Luke Sassano as the defensive midfielder.
He was coy as to whether the lack of healthy central midfielders would force him away from his preferred 3-5-2 at home. But he did praise the play of Sassano.
âA problem for someone means an opportunity for someone else,ââ Osorio said. âWe, during the week, tried Luke Sassano in that position. I revisited all my sessions and I was very confident he would take that challenge and he would play well. I think he did; he probably played even better than I expected.
âThatâs what football is all about. Professional football requires depth in the squad. We all agree it would be nice to have Seth back and have Claudio back, but in the time being we need to go with what we have. We think Luke has played very well.ââ
*** In other Red Bull news, the newly-acquired Boyens, a New Zealand international, has received his P-1 visa and is available to play against the Wizards.
