The rash of back injuries plaguing the Red Bulls has claimed a new victim, Claudio Reyna. The Red Bulls captain has been diagnosed with disk herniation in his back that has contributed to the hamstring strain that kept him out of last week’s game against Houston and will keep him out of Thursday’s match against Chivas USA.
Reyna is the third key Red Bulls player to deal with back problems this season. Forward Juan Pablo Angel is still dealing with a nerve condition in his lower back that has caused problems in his hamstring while midfielder Seth Stammler was also sidelined for two matches with back issues.
Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio was at a loss for a direct explanation for the rash of injuries, but believed that the hardness of the grass field at the Red Bulls practice facility could be playing a role.
It is unclear when Reyna will return to action, but won’t return to training until next week, at the earliest.
Jozy Altidore and Jeff Parke sat out training on Tuesday with ankle injuries, but both are expected to train on Wednesday and play on Thursday night. Midfielder Luke Sassano is more of a question mark. He has been listed as questionable for Thursday with a toe injury.
Juan Pablo Angel trained fully on Tuesday and looked sharp.
Colombian forward Oscar Echeverry also trained on Tuesday, but lingering pain in his knee will likely keep him out of Thursday’s match.
Midfielder Dave Van Den Bergh did not train on Tuesday. He was with his wife, who gave birth to the couple’s second son on Monday night. Van Den Bergh, who trained on Monday, is expected to start on Thursday. Osorio did admit that he liked what he saw from Van Den Bergh in an attacking midfield role against KC and we could see him there again on Thursday.
So what should the lineup look like on Thursday night? Here is a possibility:
————Angel———-Altidore—————
Borman——–Van Den Bergh———–Richards
————-Stammler—-Sassano—————
Goldthwaite——–Parke—————–Leitch
——————-Conway————————
What lineup would you like to see on Thursday against Chivas USA? Share your thoughts on these developments below.