When teams get eliminated from playoff contention, it’s often time to start bringing on young players. For ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC, they may not have a choice at some spots.
Defensive midfielder Chris Durkin and center back Henry Kessler were both absent from practice as City SC returned to work following its loss to Minnesota that all but officially knocked it out of playoff contention. Both left the Minnesota game at the half, Durkin with a knee injury and Kessler because he was in the concussion protocol.
Interim coach John Hackworth stressed that he wasn’t saying Durkin was out for this Saturday, when City SC plays at last-place San Jose, but considering the team’s situation, there’s no need to rush him back.
“He’s hurting right now,†Hackworth said, “and hopefully we will get him back in time, but his body’s got to heal up. Thank goodness there’s nothing really terribly wrong with him. He went through an MRI yesterday and got an X-ray too. So our medical staff did a fantastic job, and he has a very inflamed knee right now. So that’s another one of those things. He’s so important to what we do, and you take Durkin off the field, and it changes us, so then other guys will have to step up. But you also want to be protective about Durkin and his future because there’s no sense in putting him in harm’s way for nothing.â€
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Durkin is the team leader in minutes played among field players with 2,237, and the only two games he hasn’t appeared in this season, over all competitions, were ones he had to sit out because of accumulated yellow cards.
“Durkin’s a tough, tough kid,†Hackworth said, “and he will do anything to get back on the field. So it helps that I know him so well, but I’m also going to be very protective of him, because ... I know him, if I asked him to come train right now, he would come train. ... I just don’t want to put him in a position where he could injure himself worse. And if we take a little bit of caution on that, it might give somebody else an opportunity like JGR.â€
JGR is Jake Girdwood-Reich, the 20-year-old Australian signed in the summer transfer window. He replaced Durkin at the half against Minnesota for his most playing time this season. Even if Durkin wasn’t hurt, Girdwood-Reich is one of the players who would be expected to get a look over City SC’s final five games. He has played in eight of nine games over all competitions since he’s been eligible, but prior to Saturday, only one of those games was for more than 10 minutes.
“He’s got to earn (the minutes),†Hackworth said. “I’m not going to give anything out to anybody. Players have to come out here and compete and beat out their relevant competition. So that’s the best way to build an environment and culture of accountability. But at the same time, JGR is a guy that we invested in, and we need to give him some opportunities too. So there’s a balance to all of this.â€
Kessler was jogging during practice on Tuesday, and Hackworth said they wouldn’t know for sure what his status would be until Friday as he worked his way through the concussion protocol.
Joakim Nilsson, who has missed 15 of the past 16 games with a hamstring injury, took part in a little more than half of practice and told the Post-Dispatch that he would need about a week and a half of training before he was ready to get in a game. That would make him available for the final four games of the season, though the team still has to determine if it’s worth playing him in those games or letting his frequently injured hamstring take more time off.
Return of Pidro
Selmir Pidro, the first player signed by City SC, made his return to American soccer on Sunday night, coming off the bench for City2 in the 61st minute of its 2-2 tie with Minnesota 2. It was just over a year ago, on Sept. 3, 2023, that Pidro made his most recent appearance in America, also for City2.
Pidro, expected to be the team’s starting left back in its inaugural season, never found a spot with City SC, appearing in only two MLS games, and the longer he went without playing, the less likely he was to play. Eventually, he was loaned to a club in the Czech Republic, but when that club was relegated, it didn’t keep Pidro. Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel couldn’t find another home for Pidro, so he came back to America.
Pidro is on loan to City2, so he won’t count against City SC’s roster limit or its international player count.
Pidro wore No. 17 with City SC last season, but that number has been given to Marcel Hartel, so Pidro is wearing No. 70 with City2.
Notes
Eduard Lowen is 13th and Klauss is 14th nationally in uniform sales through . A year ago, when far fewer people had City SC jerseys, Klauss was second to only Lionel Messi in sales and Lowen was ninth, so the two are showing some staying power.
Detailed numbers aren’t released, so there’s no clue as to how far Messi is ahead of his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez, who is second in sales. Sergio Busuets is No. 11, and Jordi Alba is No. 15 as Miami has four players in the top 15.
- City SC can’t be officially eliminated from playoff contention until Saturday, but Sporting Kansas City, which is tied for 12th in the West with City SC, can be eliminated Wednesday based on results in games involving SKC, Portland and Minnesota.
LAFC, Colorado and Real Salt Lake can all clinch Western Conference playoff spots on Wednesday.