FRISCO, Texas – FC Dallas just cannot seem to catch a break.
Oscar Pareja’s club has another key player out due to injury and another tough stretch of games looming to go along with it. This time, it’s Honduran international Hendry Thomas with the injury and a three-game stretch in eight days against the likes of the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake on the horizon, starting Saturday at home against Chivas USA (8:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
The club announced Tuesday that Thomas, a defensive midfielder who played for Colorado in 2013, suffered a muscle tear in his right leg in Saturday’s game against San Jose and had a procedure to remove fluid on Monday. The injury is expected to keep him out of the lineup for six to eight weeks.
“Big loss; he is a great player,” central defender Matt Hedges said. “He’s got a lot of experience in big leagues, and you can just tell when he was on the field he was our midfield pivot, so it’s a big loss.”
On top of that, FC Dallas are currently on a four-game losing streak, which included a run of three games in seven days against New York at home and Seattle and San Jose on the road, all one-goal losses. During that time, the team announced a right knee injury to midfielder Mauro Diaz, resulting in part from Dallas' game at D.C. United on April 26, a 4-1 loss.
The club announced that Díaz had a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure Tuesday morning, where a piece of loose cartilage was removed from his right knee. The expected recovery time is six to 10 weeks.
“We have to have options at this moment when the injuries don’t give us a break, “ Pareja said.
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Midfielders Michel, Victor Ulloa, team captain Andrew Jacobson and veteran Adam Moffat all have played for FC Dallas at midfield this season and are options to replace Thomas.
Jacobson said the team has faith in the way the coaching staff has kept the players fresh using squad rotation. Following Saturday's game, the club then travels to Southern California to play the Galaxy on the following Wednesday and at Real Salt Lake on May 24.
“You want continuity,” Jacobson said. “But then again, if you stick with one XI, one injury can throw your whole season off. Now you’re leaning on guys who haven’t played a minute.
“When you start rotating, maybe you don’t get the continuity but now you have 20 guys who are confident and fit. I think we have a very deep team. We have enough good players to rotate.”
