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MLS Ticker: Keane has surgery for chronic achilles pain; Gonzalez likely staying stateside; and more

Robbie Keane

By CAITLIN MURRAY

Los Angeles Galaxy captain Robbie Keane has undergone surgery to remedy a chronic issue with his Achilles tendons.

The forward announced on his Facebook page Tuesday he’d be having surgery on both of his feet, writing: “Getting an operation on both Achilles tomorrow. Looking forward to getting them sorted once and for all and coming back even stronger!”

Keane hasn’t disclosed how long recovery time will be, but has said he will spend the off-season resting and rehabbing.

“[The tendons have] been bothering me for a long time, and this is an opportunity to get it done,” Keane had said after Galaxy’s second-leg loss in Utah. “It will be nice to have an extended break, but not too long.”

The 33-year-old is currently a finalist for Major League Soccer MVP honors, having scored 16 goals and dished out 11 assists this season for the Galaxy in just 23 games played.

Here are some more stories from around the league:

USMNT’S GONZALEZ HAS NO PLANS FOR OVERSEAS LOAN

U.S. Men’s National Team defender Omar Gonzalez may not be heading overseas with many of his international teammates during the MLS offseason.

Despite the urging from head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to stay sharp with off-season loans in Europe, the Los Angeles Galaxy defender plans to relax so a nagging groin injury can heal before heading into January camp with the USMNT.

“I’m still dealing with a little pain from my groin,” Gonzalez told reporters Tuesday. “I just recently got done with the [national team’s final 2013] games, and so right now I’m just relaxing, trying to let this groin heal up, and when it gets closer to January, got to start getting fit and whether I’m here in California with the national team for January camp or something else comes along, we’ll figure that out. But as of right now, I’m just planning on the January camp.”

Gonzalez said he’d be open to going overseas if clubs show interest in bringing in the Texan, but he pointed out that his last loan to FC Nürnberg in 2012 resulted in an ACL tear. He was sidelined for seven months.

CREW LOCK THREE IN FOR 2014 BACK LINE

The Columbus Crew announced Tuesday that they have added two defenders and re-signed another for their 2014 roster.

The club re-signed Josh Williams and added two: Costa Rican left back Waylon Francis and Columbus native Matt Wiet, who is the club’s sixth Homegrown Player.

Francis will occupy an international slot as a Discovery Signing after his visa and work papers are submitted. He joins the Crew coming off a stints in Costa Rica’s topflight Primera Division.

Wiet is making the jump from USL-PRO to MLS, leaving behind the Dayton Dutch Lions to join the Crew. The Columbus-area native spent four seasons in college soccer, first with a year at Indiana University before spending the final three in Westwood with UCLA.

OLUM MAY BE READY FOR SPORTING KC IN MLS CUP

KC Sporting defensive mid Lawrence Olum, who has been out since a leg injury in the first leg of the eastern conference semifinal, may be back for the MLS Cup.

Olum reportedly took part in full training session Tuesday and team manager Peter Vermes said he may be available in time for the championship on Dec. 7.

“He’s just getting back in the swing of things, but he already looks better today than he did on Saturday when we had training,” Vermes said after Tuesday’s training. “It seemed he was running around kind of gingerly, and today it wasn’t that way. Barring anything else, as long as his progression continues, I would say that it’s been looking better for him to be available.”

Haitian midfielder Peterson Joseph is out for the season as the team continues to test for the cause of a collapse during an October training drill, Vermes said.

HOUSTON DYNAMO PARTNER WITH PITTSBURGH USL-PRO CLUB

The Houston Dynamo announced an affiliate program with USL-PRO team, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, making Houston the fifth MLS side to enter into such an agreement.

With the partnership, Dynamo can loan a minimum of four contacted players to Pittsburgh for the 2014 USL-PRO season.

“I think it is a positive that we are moving ahead with our younger players,” Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said in a statement. “They come back to our team as better players and we think this will be a good relationship.”

As part of a multi-year affiliation signed between the two leagues last year, Sporting Kansas City, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union and D.C. United all have USL-PRO team partnerships.

SPORTING KC SELLS OUT OF SEASON TICKETS FOR NEXT SEASON

Earlier this month, Sporting KC sold out of its allocation of season tickets for the 2014 season – 14,000 tickets.

The team also has a waiting list of 1,000 fans looking for 2014 season tickets, even as prices increased by 8 percent and the team required a non-refundable deposit of $50 per seat, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

By comparison, it took until March for the team to sell out of this season’s allocation.

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Do you think Keane’s surgery will help him next season? What do you think of Gonzalez staying in the U.S.? Would having Olum back be a boost for Sporting KC in MLS Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. If they’re injured, I understand the need to rest, but I’m really disappointed by these MLS players who are almost certainly going to Brazil who don’t want to test themselves against European competition. You learn so much from that. Jurgen can’t rely on a lineup with too many players who haven’t been exposed to that level of competition, particularly in the back. While I like a lot of what I’ve seen from Besler, Gonzalez, and Evans, I think going with all those guys who haven’t been exposed to the kinds of players the US will be facing in Brazil would be asking for trouble.

    Reply
    • Don’t forget that the teams that pay their salary have a say in this. They pay good money for their player’s services and they might not want them to be completely burnt out after the WC break.

      Reply
  2. Caitlin,
    “With the partnership, Dynamo can loan a minimum of four contacted players to Pittsburgh for the 2014 USL-PRO season.”

    Is that truly a minimum? I don’t recall the terms of the league-partnership at all. Was there a piece on SBI that you could link to?

    Reply
    • Wow, it really is a minimum. Interesting. Now I wonder how the prgress is on fielding reserves in USL-PRO–are teams going to make it, or will everyone just affiliate? Also would be interesting to see if there will be enough stability in USL-PRO membership!

      Reply

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