Houston’s quest to return to the postseason will continue without the team’s starting goalkeeper. After suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament on Friday in Kansas City, Dynamo number one Tally Hall will miss the rest of the regular season, vaulting Tyler Deric into the team’s starting lineup.
As reported on the league’s web site, Hall felt the problem during the team’s visit to Sporting Park, eventually leaving Friday’s game in the 80th minute. Scheduled to undergo surgery this Friday, Hall is set to be sidelined until at least the start of the 2015 season, with his recovery time currently estimated at 6-9 months.
“I go down and it’s kind of funny because the first thing I do is hold my knee and I’m thinking ‘Try to move it, try to stand on it’ which isn’t recommended by any doctor,” Hall told MLSsoccer.com. “Brad [Davis] was there and he said, ‘Stay down.’ I looked at him and said, ‘It could be serious’ and he said ‘That’s why you should stay down.’
“You’re in the game and you want to do everything to stay in the game and keep fighting,” Hall added. “I went to plant off it and go forward, and my knee felt like it had enough.”
Twenty-nine years old, Hall has held down the team’s starting spot since claiming it from Pat Onstead four years ago. Now he gives way to Deric, whose four starts in six years provides little clue as to whether he can fill Hall’s void.
Behind a defense that’s been amongst the league’s worst this season, there’s little margin for error between the uprights, but on a day when Hall’s season has come to an abrupt end, we can wait until Saturday’s visit from Montréal to assess that loss. For now, Hall has to come to grips with his season’s sudden conclusion, while Deric must assume the mantle of the team’s new number one.