COLUMBUS -- The relationship between an injured athlete and the fitness coach trying to get him back on the field can be one of love and hate.
In the case of Columbus Crew defender Ezra Hendrickson, he knows that Steve Tashjian has his best interests in mind, but still, it's often: "Man, do I have to do another sprint?"
"Ezra and I actually have a pretty good relationship," Tashjian said. "I was with him when I was back in LA so he knows which direction I'm going in right when he's ready to jump back in.
"It's a pretty easy process. He knew what was coming. He knows the work rate I want for particular drills and it's really helped him gain fitness a lot quicker than I thought he would."
Hendrickson suffered a left groin sprain early in the June 7 match against New England when he leaped to get at a corner kick. The original diagnosis was a six-week absence but Hendrickson will likely resume full training next Tuesday.
He credits his quicker than expected recovery to Tashjian, who worked with him while both were with the Galaxy in 2002-03, head athletic trainer Jason Mathews and assistant athletic trainer Skylar Richards.
"They've worked really hard with me to get me back this soon," Hendrickson said.
His nickname is EZ but there's been nothing easy about the regiment Tashjian has put him through.
"Being an older guy, an experienced guy, and having worked with him he listens when I tell him we need to back off today. His training can be very strenuous but it's good training. It's very functional," Hendrickson said. "It's good working with him. Knowing him from the past we listen to each other. I tell him when my body has had enough, like today. We were scheduled to do a lot more than we did but my hamstrings and my groin hurt too much so we backed off. I've been working with Steve a lot at the end of practices to simulate games where we do some sprint stuff. I'm coming back within the next week or so."
That will be good news for the Crew who have yet to find a suitable replacement for Hendrickson at left back. Rookie Ryan Junge started two matches and Danny O'Rourke made his debut there last week.
"Nothing we've thrown at (Hendrickson) him is bothering him so that's good," Tashjian said after Thursday's practice. "Besides the normal soreness for a guy who hasn't been in full training, we're more than happy with the way he feels today."
It has been a busy first half of the season for the training staff with eight to 10 players nursing injuries at a time, not including the season-ending injuries to midfielders Kevin Burns and Adam Moffat.
"My tendency is to go back and look what I've done -- Jason and Skylar are the same way," Tashjian said. "We kind of scratch our heads. We blame it on ourselves first and ask, 'How could we have prevented this?'
"Sometimes we have to take a step back a little bit. As long as we're not being naïve and say sometimes these things happen, circumstances will come and you're not going to avoid injuries. We took a little lick. We came through it and guys are getting back on the field."
Besides Hendrickson, the only players expected not to be medically cleared for Saturday's match against Chicago are defender Gino Padula (hamstring) and midfielder Eddie Gaven (left ankle sprain).
Padula has an exasperating situation because he was almost fully fit after rehabbing a right knee sprain that cost him seven games. His latest injury came in a reserve match June 25.
"A month (more recovery) is a fair estimate give or take a week," Tashjian said. "He's frustrated and I would be, too. The amount of work he did to get back from his MCL sprain and he really was feeling very, very good that first 10 minutes of the reserve game only to have the circumstances where he pulled, he's frustrated."
Gaven was the recipient of a bad tackle during a U.S. Open Cup match June. The goal now more than anything is to have him ready for the upcoming U.S. Olympic team training camp.
"He's doing fine. If he's going to be in the picture for the Olympic team we want to make sure he is strong and stable and can handle the change in direction, the change in speed and let the playing in camp do the fitness for him," said Tashjian. "If I had my best case scenario we're winning and we don't need him and let him recover. That would be my choice. If we need him I'm not saying it's impossible for him to make an appearance down the road."
The news is also encouraging for midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi, who went on the six-week disabled list May 13 because of a left quadriceps strain. He said he is fully healed.
"It's like preseason again when you're coming back and having to deal with maintaining your fitness and at the same time watching the guys playing. It kind of gets you down," he said. "Hopefully in the reserve game this weekend I'll get a little go at it."
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