COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – A familiar and welcome face was back on the field at Colorado Rapids training on Monday.
Midfielder Dillon Powers practiced and looks set to return from a two-game absence with bursitis in his right knee when the Rapids travel to face the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday (10:30 pm ET, MLS Live).
“I’m planning on playing Wednesday,” Powers told MLSsoccer.com. “I think [my knee] is pretty close to 100 percent.”
The 2013 MLS Rookie of the Year felt discomfort during the Rapids’ scoreless draw with San Jose in Colorado last month and took the next few days off before practicing for the first time last week. But Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni didn’t want to rush Powers, who has also battled knee tendonitis this season, back from injury, so he left him out of his second straight game in Colorado’s 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy on Saturday night.
“I think he’s going to be available for the game,” Mastroeni told reporters after practice on Monday. “His fitness at this point is still up in the air, but I’m excited to have him back as an option, a guy that I think will inject a bit of life into the group.”
While it looks like he’ll be available, Powers might not be ready for a full 90 minutes yet after losing conditioning during his absence. But for a Rapids squad that’ll be without attacking midfielder Vicente Sánchez’s services for Wednesday’s clash (he hurt his right knee in the first half of Saturday’s win), the return of their influential attacking midfielder will be highly welcomed.
“I’ll be ready to go,” Powers said. “I did three full trainings and two [halves]. I’ll be ready to go if I have to.”
Chris Bianchi covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com.
