As the New England Revolution approach a weekend trip out west to California to face the LA Galaxy, it looks like they will once again be without striker Leo Campana.
The Ecuadorian striker has been sidelined since March with a lower-body injury. In his absence, New England has been able to surge into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Dor Turgeman has struggled for consistency but has found form with two goals in the last two games.
Though fans hoped for a return following the World Cup break, September has arrived with the striker no closer to returning to the pitch.
“With Leo [Campana], his injury is very tricky," head coach Marko Mitrovic said when asked by The Blazing Musket for an injury update. "It’s kind of very sensitive. We still want to give Leo time because it’s going to take some time for Leo to come back. But I know that our medical staff and Leo are working so hard day after day. It’s not easy for Leo because he has now been off the field for a period of time. But there’s going to be a period of time where we’re not going to have Leo with us.”
Over the course of two seasons, Campana has made just 26 appearances. For a player that was acquired for more than $2 million in General Allocation Money, the only conclusion can be that the move was a failure. Even more so considering that at the time the fee was a record for an inter-MLS move.
With the sprint season on the horizon, general manager Chris Tierney will face a tough decision. With high-investment players such as Jackson Yueill and Campana playing a relatively small role on the roster, the club will have to consider potentially buying one if not both of these players out.
But it isn't all bad news. Luca Langoni appears poised to return with him only needing to build up match fitness in order to return to the starting XI.
“With Luca [Langoni], he’s now building his fitness," Mitrovic said. "We know with Luca, certain things happened in his life and then he picked up two injuries, one after another. It was a difficult few months for Luca. We knew, before that, how important Luca was to our team. We’re now at a stage where we have to build his fitness, that’s the most important thing so that Luca can perform. But he’s clear to go, from a health perspective."
