Revolution Notebook: Injury Update And Missed Chances

We hear from Clint Peay, Andrew Farrell, and Bobby Wood

Photo By ©J. Alexander Dolan

As the New England Revolution prepare for a mid-week match against the Columbus Crew, here is what Clint Peay and Co. had to say.

Injury Update

The two names that Revolution fans will be paying attention to are Gustavo Bou Henry Kessler. Bou made his return to the pitch after a two-month-long stint on the sidelines as he dealt with a muscle injury to his right leg.

Kessler is still waiting to make his return from a right hamstring injury that has kept him out for the majority of the season. Peay gave an update on these two players on Tuesday.

“It’s great to have them both [Kessler and Bou] back,” the interim head coach said. “Big personalities and big players for us, so at this point, it’s about getting them fit and getting them sharp for matches. They’re working hard every day to get there. Obviously, Gustavo featured a little bit late in the last game and I suspect we want to continue that progression. And then with Henry, it’s a little bit more difficult with center backs, but I think it’s about when the right time is based on where he thinks he is and where we think he is.”

Andrew Farrell also touched on the return of these two players.

“We have a very deep team, [with] guys that are coming back from injury who have been crucial players to our team,” the center back said. “[Gustavo] Bou getting minutes the last game, and Henry [Kessler] back in and most likely going to see some minutes at some point. It’s exciting, those guys are huge for us. The biggest thing is getting that momentum going heading into the postseason and those two guys help us with that.”

The Curious Case of Tomas Vaclik

Even though the recently acquired Tomas Vaclik has spent a decent amount of time in New England, his status remains up in the air. The former Huddersfield goalkeeper failed to make the squad against Charlotte FC and fans are starting to wonder if the Revolution acquired damage goods.

But Peay was pleased with how the goalkeeper looked in training and discussed his potential availability.

“He [Vaclík] is coming along and making progress,” Peay said. “I thought he looked sharp today and I think, with our goalkeeper coach Kevin Hitchcock, we’ll make that decision as we keep progressing.”

Hopefully Vaclik at the minimum will make the bench or these concerns from fans will only continue to grow.

Bobby Wood Would Like to Score

Bou wasn’t the only return for the Revolution. Bobby Wood made his return to the starting XI for the first time since late July.

It wasn’t a particularly great performance as he only recorded 17 touches and two shots in 55 minutes played. This also included a pair of missed chances on some impressive passes from teammates.

“I want to help the team as much as possible,” Wood said. “That’s always good, especially as a striker. I should’ve finished two goals [last Saturday] but we still got the win. That was a good relief that the team helped me out there.”

While Wood wanted more, Peay was pleased with the striker’s work against Charlotte FC.

“It’s great. Bobby [Wood], I thought, put in a good shift and we’re going to need him down the stretch,” the interim head coach said. “So, it’s good to see him getting his fitness back and contributing.”