Morning After: Injuries Are a Concern for FC Dallas
Last night, I asked FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez about a few injuries that the team is dealing with. Paul Arriola's status is the most concerning.
While FC Dallas dominated against Austin FC in their own house, there were a couple of concerning moments for the team, especially as they play a host of matches over the next few weeks.
Jose Martinez came off early, looking tired and frustrated.
FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez addressed the central defender’s status after the match.
“He wasn’t feeling comfortable. He was losing power in his legs,“ Nico said. “We talked during the week and with what is coming, talking with the team. Any time you feel like you cannot give everything you can just communicate, and we will bring in new energy.”
Sebastian Lletget had a strong performance and came off due to some cramping, which doesn’t concern the coach.
Paul Arriola is another story, as he appeared to injure himself on a late scoring attempt.
“It doesn’t look very good to be honest. He pulled his quad. We have to double-check and do an MRI and see how big the injury could be or small,” Nico said.
He went on to stress the need for the league as a whole to give teams tools as they build their rosters to deal with these situations.
“When you play these games every three days, this is what happens. This is what we have to think about how we can do rosters,” Nico said. “If the league is going toward doing this kind of schedule, it’s important to know these injuries can happen, rethink how we do the roster.”
Indeed, this is going to be a challenge if Paul Arriola has to miss any amount of time going forward. The team has seven matches over the next three weeks or so. It’s going to be tough to juggle personnel.
Give credit for Tsiki Ntsabeleng for earning an assist. Youngster Bernard Kamungo has also started to grab more minutes in the lineup. Jader Obrian has featured frequently as of late with Alan Velasco’s injuries. The team has options, but they will miss Paul.