Omar Bravo is right on schedule as far as his recovery from sports hernia surgery is concerned, but it’s still unlikely he will be ready for action this weekend against the Galaxy.
After working individually with the trainers this week, Bravo is scheduled to ratchet up the intensity on Wednesday and Thursday as the coaching staff evaluates his fitness ahead of Sporting Kansas City’s trip to Los Angeles this weekend.
He said he feels somewhere around 70 percent around four-and-a-half weeks since the procedure, but manager Peter Vermes is likely to take a cautious approach with his Designated Player to ensure he doesn’t have to deal with any long-term effects.
“There’s a chance for him to be available this weekend,” Vermes said. “I kind of see it as a long shot. I see it more as Seattle would be the real opportunity. I’ve seen crazier things happen though. He moves well.”
And even though it’s a long shot, Bravo is clearly itching to get back after almost five weeks out of commission. Even more frustrating than the injury is the fact that the he only managed to play a little more than a full game (122 minutes) in league play after scoring twice against Chivas USA and receiving an early red card against Chicago.
Bravo said it’s been tough to be relegated to the sidelines while his teammates struggle though a tough slate of games and negative results, but he remains realistic about his body’s capabilities at this point in his recovery.
“I haven’t played in practically a month,” Bravo said. “My heart says yes, and my body says moreorless. It’s important to play to get that rhythm for the game. Working toward the Galaxy game is a good chance for me to see where I stand.”
But, like Ryan Smith before him, Vermes has been steadfast in his resolve to bring Bravo back slowly, especially since the team has plenty of options up top to fill in the meantime. Rookie C.J. Sapong has started every game for the club this season while Smith is getting closer and closer to becoming game fit.
“I’ve said this a million times about players; I won’t push them beyond where they should be,” Vermes said. “If for some reason, they’re not right, they’re not right. We have to go with the next guy.”
No matter who that guy ends up being, Sporting know full well how important this weekend’s match against the Western Conference leading Galaxy will be. With or without Bravo, Kansas City can ill afford to allow themselves to lag farther behind the pack despite a home-heavy schedule remaining and their Designated Player’s return on the horizon.
“It’s important that we win to get some confidence and to collect points so we don’t get too far behind the rest of the league,” Bravo said. “We know that we have many games at home following these road games, but we can’t afford to leave points behind.”
