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Shea sidelined three months after foot surgery

Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

There will be no offseason training stint abroad for FC Dallas winger Brek Shea this year. Just a lot of rest and recuperation.

Shea underwent successful surgery on Thursday afternoon to remove a sesamoid bone from his right foot. The 22-year-old midfielder is expected to be sidelined for 12-14 weeks, which means he should be healthy enough to partake in some of FC Dallas’ preseason preparations next year.

The timeframe of recovery also means Shea will miss out on the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup qualifier at Honduras on Feb. 6. The game is the first for the U.S. in the Hexagonal round of qualifying.

Shea endured a rough season for FC Dallas in 2012, scoring three goals and delivering two assists in 21 games after having an MVP-caliber campaign last year.

What do you think of Shea undergoing surgery? Think he will bounce back in 2013? Bummed he will not be available for the World Cup qualifier against Honduras?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. that picture of him makes him look like he just saw a rabbit get mutilated by a lawn mower….
    hope he returns to play earlier than expected.

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  2. i wonder if he would have been shut down earlier if Dallas wasn’t fighting until the last few weeks, seemed to be injured/burnt out/frustrated all year… too bad hope he is back and leads the Gold Cup Squad

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  3. Good and bad news. Bad because he’ll miss some caps and, well, injuries aren’t fun!

    However, it’s pretty good news because everyone wondered what caused him to drop off in form so steeply after looking so excellent for Dallas in 2011, and the MNT later that year. He looked tired 24/7 after a certain point. I get the feeling he was kind of run into the ground physically. He’s a hard worker it seems, so I think if he gets his head straight he’ll be fine.

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  4. Id say welcome to the world of Stuart Holden and Charlie Davies.

    When injuries force you out of the active player pool… some players never get back into the mix

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      • Perspective:
        Holden took a cleat to the knee that completely opened it up and destroyed ligaments.

        Davies…

        Brek just struggled with turf toe. Still, he probably had a fractured sesamoid bone in his big toe that needs to be removed. Some people have one, and others have two, with one obviously providing enough fulcrum point for the toe flexors. Without either, soccer is not an option.

    • He played 20 games this year. Using Davies as a slur is probably unfair to both players because Davies had double digits here in 2011. Holden has barely played in two years. He is not John O’Brien because he has offseason repair work done. Brian Ching is out there still and he seems to have his knees scoped and lubed every offseason. You are confusing the somewhat disturbing phenomenon of many players needing offseason medical work, with them being debilitated.

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  5. Depending how long he’s been carrying this around, maybe it explains things rather than is proof of his uselessness. Get him healed up and we’ll see if we get a better, fitter player back.

    “Won’t be an offseason training stint?” I defer to comments I’ve made before about players like Landon and Gonzo and Beckham (hmmmm all Galaxy that put up with this), I don’t think having no offseason is a smart risk for the players or the teams. Rest is your friend. You may initially get some god back superfit, or you may get back an injured player, but even if you get back the fit guy what you eventually create is physical or mental burnout.

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  6. In all honesty this is probably best for Shea. Gives him an opportunity to get away from the game and get his head right and get healthy. It would be shame to see someone with such obvious potential not live up to it

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  7. Man, what a disappointing year this must have been for Brek. Lets hope he ptus 2012 behind him and comes back like the 2011 Brek Shea that tore up the MLS

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    • Yea, seriously. Apparently, this foot problem may have been lingering him all year and maybe is the reason for his form this year?

      Hopefully, he has a speedy recovery. It will keep him out of selection for the Feb 6th Honduras game but hopefully not much further. We could certainly use a healthy Shea for the qualifiers – specifically as a bench option. Luckily, Zusi has stepped up and hopefully he continues to be in form.

      I really like him coming off the bench for the US – he seems to be so much dangerous and confident coming in as a sub compared to starting, so far.

      Really cant wait for this lineup vs. Russia to be released!! I want to see Gatt! Maybe another wing option that will come through? Bedoya coming back?! I like how our wings are starting to take shape even without Landon (still cross my fingers on him).
      Eddie Johnson will hopefully stay healthy and in form. Aside from his ability in the air, the thing that was really positive for me was when he was going at defenders with the ball. He had swagger – really liked how he looked on the wing.

      Get healthy Shea! I am hoping the other guys keep it up and make you have to fight to get back into the USNT lineup by the time you are ready.

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      • It has been a issue all season. But when you are the go to guy of your club you have to push through it. Next year he will tear it up again. He will be healthy and rested and have David F. back.

      • I agree that we’ve missed somebody who truly, truly runs at people. Dempsey has really good 1v1 skill actually, but he lacks pace to create serious seperation. Donovan has excellent pace, but never really runs at people unless he’s really feeling it on the day.

        We need more guys like Josh Gatt and Brek Shea that will run at people and force defenders to make a challenge.

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