Fresh of a huge win – one that might not ordinarily reach “huge” status, but does in season gone sideways, where measures of success must surely be recalibrated – there are fresh concerns to deal with.
Foremost is the concussion injury to Chris Pontius, who will apparently miss Saturday’s home match with Toronto FC. Defenders Ethan White and James Riley are also out. Defender Dejan Jakovic and midfielder Kyle Porter are questionable, all as reported by The Washington Post’s Steven Goff.
Jakovic, a starting center back, would be the most significant loss. We could debate the impact of missing Pontius, a talented midfielder-forward who is having a wickedly tough go of it this season.
Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup win was good and bad news. The “good” was achieving some relief from the lack of success; the team is still riding that 12-game winless streak. And Dwayne De Rosario’s breakout, a hat trick in the club’s 3-1 win over Philadelphia, propelling the team into the tournament quarterfinals, will put a smile on every La Bara Brava man and woman.
But even that come with this bit of temperance: “De Ro” is 35, and you have to wonder how quickly he’ll recover, how much he will have for Saturday’s critical contest against Toronto. Same for the rest of the club; Toronto will come in far more fresh, playing in its first match in 14 days.