By DAN KARELL
Even though the Los Angeles Galaxy thoroughly beat Cartagines, 2-0, in the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday night, the MLS club learned that they could be without one of their regulars for an extended period.
In the 44th minute, midfielder Robbie Rogers was forced off with what’s been diagnosed as a left hamstring injury, setting him for another spell on the sidelines. The injury is unfortunate for Rogers, who had just made his return to first team action after two weeks outside of the Galaxy game day squads.
The MLS veteran is set to have an MRI exam this week, but he’s hoping that the injury isn’t as bad as it was originally feared.
“It’s really frustrating. I always think that things happen for a reason so sometimes you think, ‘what is the lesson in this.’ But, I don’t know,” Rogers told LA Galaxy Insider. “I’m just going to keep my head up and hopefully the MRI isn’t too bad so I can continue to train and do fitness. I don’t think that I’ll be out too long, maybe just a couple of weeks.”
Here are some more stories to catch you up around the league:
LABA RULED OUT FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS
Toronto FC’s frustrating season just got worse.
The Canadian club announced on Wednesday that midfielder Matias Laba has fractured his big toe in his right foot, keeping him off the field for four to six weeks. Laba hasn’t missed a game this season since his debut on May 5, starting 16 games through the summer.
Laba was signed in late April from Argentinos Juniors as a young designated player, instantly adding some grit and technique into a midfield that was sorely lacking in a number of areas. The 22-year-old had carved out a space for himself in the lineup and had begun to show real improvements in recent weeks.
Laba suffered the injury in their 2-0 defeat to the Columbus Crew last Saturday and he was substituted out of the match in the 79th minute. Laba posted a picture of his foot in a boot along with the message “Broke my big toe, out for one month” on his Twitter account.
UNION OPEN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL
The Philadelphia Union are aiming to start a new trend in Major League Soccer.
In two weeks time, the club will officially open their own high school, named YSC Academy, for 8th through 12th graders who are part of the Union’s academy. There are 32 boys that are enrolled and set to begin at the school, all of whom are on the Union’s U14/U16/U18 squads, or Union juniors program.
The club considered opening a residency-style program that’s seen in European clubs such as Barcelona and Everton, but instead opted for a regular high school program, where kids can live at home. The Union hope that someday this high school can help bring along academy talents to a point where the Union starting XI is homegrown.
“I’m not saying our model is better, but I do think it gives us the ability to really focus on driving through the culture of what it means to play for the Philadelphia Union,” Richie Graham, a partial owner of the Union, told MLSSoccer.com. “A dream come true for me would be that someday these boys are representing the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park, they score a goal, that they run in the corner and they’re the kid that’s kissing the badge.
“This is not an inexpensive venture,” Sakiewicz said. “This is multiple millions of dollars over a long period of time. But our dream is to put as many starting-11 players as we can from our local area. And this is how we can do that.”
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What do you think of these reports? How big of a loss is Rogers for the Galaxy? Who do you see replacing Laba in the TFC lineup? What do you think of the Union’s school venture?