COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids midfielder Dillon Powers is battling bursitis in his right knee, leaving him in jeopardy of missing his second straight game this weekend.
The reigning MLS Rookie of the Year missed the Rapids’ 4-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders on Saturday with the injury that he suffered in a scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on April 19. Powers said he woke up on the morning of April 21 with “some pain” after feeling fine the day before.
“It’s strange,” Powers told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday. “… So it was just inflammation, maybe just a little fluid. But I rested last week and iced a lot and got some acupuncture. It’s feeling a lot better this week. I just ran for 20 minutes this morning, and I’m hoping to maybe get out there [Wednesday]. We’ll see how it goes.”
This is the latest injury for Powers, who battled knee tendonitis through much of the preseason and played through it at the start of this season.
Powers said he didn’t know exactly when during the Quakes game he suffered the injury, but he played the full 90. Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni said he would wait until the end of the week, probably Friday, before making a determination on his availability for Saturday’s home matchup with the LA Galaxy (10 pm ET; MLS Live).
“It’s day-to-day,” Mastroeni said. “We’ll see where he’s at Friday.”
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Last week, 20-year-old Dillon Serna started at the top of Mastroeni’s 4-4-2 diamond and could play there again, along with veteran Vicente Sanchez, this weekend. But more than anything, Mastroeni emphasized taking a cautious approach with the 23-year-old Powers, who has impressed in six starts this season.
“The one thing I don’t want to do is put him in a position where he aggravates [the injury],” Mastroeni said. “This early in the season, I look at the big picture. I know it’s hard for people to understand, getting so caught up in the week-to-week results, but I’m thinking long-term.
"And Dillon Powers is a player, in order for us to have a solid year, who needs to be healthy and playing well for months at a time, rather than making sure he’s available for this week.”
Chris Bianchi covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com.
