Fullback has been an area of concern all season for the LA Galaxy. On Thursday, the exact nature of that problem was finally revealed. According to head coach Bruce Arena, left back Todd Dunivant will be out until at least July after undergoing surgery earlier this month to repair an abdominal tear.
Speaking to media Thursday in Carson, Calif., Arena said the 33-year-old defender underwent a procedure the team initially tried to avoid. Now the former Best XI defender, who has been limited to two MLS games this season, is two months away from rejoining a squad that’s struggled to find fullbacks to put on the depth chart.
From the latest at LAGalaxy.com:“It’s probably late July,” Arena said about Dunivant’s timetable back to the field. “He had the surgery two or three weeks ago….If it didn’t heal from not having surgery and he had to have surgery that it is more severe than [a strain] and it will take a little bit more time.
“The reason that you have the surgery is to heal the tear,” he added before later mentioning that the abdominal tear resembles a sports hernia injury. “The thinking is that he’ll be healed.”
So where does that leave Los Angeles? The same place they were on yesterday. The team still has some depth in the middle, with Kofi Opare, Leonardo, and Tommy Meyer having started recent games. Out wide, however, A.J. DeLaGarza is the left back while Dan Gargan will have to hold down the right.
After leaving Sean Franklin exposed to the Re-Entry Draft, LA knew they would be hamstrung at fullback. Losing James Riley early in the season only made it worse.
With Dunivant sidelined, however, the margin for error is even thinner. Fullback remains an area of concern in Carson.