Bruce Arena Provides An Injury Update Ahead of Game vs Fire
Bruce Arena Provides An Injury Update Ahead of Game vs Fire
No decision on Gil, but Arena is optimistic.
On Thursday, New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena provided an update regarding his team’s health ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Chicago Fire.
Arena noted that Gustavo Bou and Brandon Bye are out while Matt Polster is ready to go. Dylan Borrero, Henry Kessler, Nacho Gil, Maciel, and Tommy McNamara remain sidelined.
The decision hasn’t been made about Carles Gil, who left last weekend’s game in the 35th minute, but Arena is optimistic.
“Well, I’m hopeful [Gil] can play Saturday. That’s good news, that he’s in the picture,” Arena told Zolak & Bertrand. “We’ll know more tomorrow. He was out on the field today. He looked good, so hopefully he can play on Saturday.”
The Revs have dealt with a rash of injuries this year. While some only required players to miss a short amount of time, others have been long-term.
The absences have required players to step up. On Saturday, Jack Panayotou got an extended run in the middle after replacing Gil. Andrew Farrell has come on for Kessler while Ema Boateng has deputized for Borrero.
“Obviously, you never want a teammate to get hurt, but if someone’s hurt, they’re excited to get the opportunity to contribute to the team. I think it’s a good positive mindset for the whole group,” Boateng explained.
Boateng added that he thinks injuries make “the coaches’ jobs probably a little harder” because they “have to figure out the best way to get the most out of us.”
Arena and his staff will have to determine the right personnel and formation for this weekend. During his interview with Zolak and Bertrand, Arena mentioned the possibility of moving DeJuan Jones to right back or playing with three center backs.
The Revs are hoping to get back on the right track after two consecutive league losses, both on the road. A home game against the Fire is an opportunity to collect a positive result.
From there, the club hopes to see their injury list shrink in the coming weeks.
“I know, because I see it every day, that everybody is working really hard to come back,” Boateng said. “Guys that are injured are getting in early and still here working sometimes when we’re leaving so they’re doing everything in their power to get back.