Crew's Hernandez nearly set to return

COLUMBUS -- Before Nicolas Hernandez can repair his reputation as a goal scorer, he first must mend his body.

After two lengthy injury rehabilitations, the Argentinean forward is close to being back to full capacity in a first season with the Columbus Crew that has seen him make four appearances for just 34 minutes. The last came for the final 60 seconds or so against Kansas City on Saturday after recovering from a left knee bone bruise that sidelined him for nearly three weeks.

He followed that with 73 minutes in a reserve match the next day.

"Last week I started training with the group," he said. "I'm not 100 percent yet. With more minutes on the field I start to feel better. I need more minutes, with the reserve team, maybe friendly matches, to get more fitness."

His objective is to score goals as he did in his initial MLS season with Colorado in 2006 when he had seven -- along with six assists -- in 30 regular-season games to earn the team's MVP award. He slumped to one goal in 17 matches last season and although he was known for his hard work and willingness to play a midfield position, the Rapids shipped him to Columbus in February for Tim Ward and a draft pick.

The Crew are still waiting for the move to pay dividends since Hernandez has yet to take a shot.

"It's tough for me because I come here with a lot of expectations and I get an injury in my foot first then my knee," he said. "I've never been 100 percent with my possibilities to play and now it's starting to come together in practice and I hope to start playing more.

"I'm an offensive player, everybody knows that. I can play forward, on the sides, wherever they need me I can play to show what I can do on the offensive side of the field."

Cracking the starting lineup will be tough. Fellow countryman Guillermo Barros Schelotto was named to the MLS Best XI last year and is not going to be unseated. Forward Alejandro Moreno scored twice against the Wizards and has a team-high six goals. Meanwhile, in the midfield Robbie Rogers has scored five times patrolling the left flank and Emmanuel Ekpo has shown improvement on the opposite side in his first season in the league.

The return of Hernandez was one of many welcomed by the Crew recently, who seem to be getting healthier heading into summer. Defender Ryan Junge, midfielder Duncan Oughton and forward Jason Garey logged minutes last week in both the U.S. Open Cup match against Chicago and the game in Kansas City.

Also, midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi (left quad strain) was running and cutting at practice this week in anticipation of his coming off the injured reserve list next week; forward Guilherme So (back strain) is scrimmaging again and defender Gino Padula (left knee MCL sprain) played the first half of the reserve match vs. K.C. Sunday and is ready to return to the full team. His last MLS appearance was April 26.

"I know I'm not 100 percent because I've been out for awhile," Padula said. "I'm happy. I tested it in the reserve game and it felt good."

The Crew will also be bolstered for Saturday's match at Los Angeles by the return of midfielder Brad Evans from a one-game red card suspension and defender Frankie Hejduk after a stint with the U.S. national team.

"We've got a lot of guys coming back now. Hopefully, they'll be able to contribute," Moreno said.

However, it's not all sunshine beaming over the Crew camp. Midfielder Adam Moffat had season-ending knee surgery June 10 and defender Ezra Hendrickson will miss his second consecutive match due to a groin strain. Still, even the bad news has been tempered. When midfielder Eddie Gaven suffered a left ankle sprain during the Open Cup loss to Chicago it was feared he would be out 6-8 weeks. He said Wednesday that estimate has been halved.

A relatively healthy squad comes at a good after a tough schedule. The Crew bussed eight hours to and from its Open Cup match June 10 against the Fire in Peoria, Ill., and was at K.C. last Saturday. The upcoming match vs. the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center marks the team's third on the West Coast since May 10.

After Saturday, the Crew have only one away match (July 12 at Real Salt Lake) until after the All-Star Game.


Crew look to reassert dominance
González Praises Getafe
Werder midfielder in line for return

Prolific offense powering D.C. up table

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United's prolific strike force has displayed a knack for providing their team with flattering scorelines of late. Sunday's 3-1 defeat of the San Jose Earthquakes can certainly be added to that list as the Black-and-Red overcame a sluggish first half and a poorly-timed error from goalkeeper Zach Wells to earn their fourth win in the last five games.

"As a whole, we didn't show up today," said United boss Tom Soehn. "We came in with the mentality that we won the game and that's discouraging for me, because on the day I don't think we were good on the competitive side [or] the soccer side. We addressed it at halftime and it got a little bit better, but there's not too many days you can come like we did today and come out with a result."

But even the aggrieved Soehn had to compliment his players' ability to scratch out a victory despite a limp first-half display that ceded the impetus to San Jose and drew a halftime tongue-lashing from the second-year boss.

"Yeah, and rightfully so," said midfielder Clyde Simms, when asked about the locker room reprimand. "It was not a good half that we played. We had to move around some things a few different times during the first half to try to find an answer, and we still didn't do that. But fortunately we were able to come out of there 0-0 at halftime and we were able to treat it as a different game in the second half."

This was a match that, had it taken place during their wretched spring skid, United would surely have found a way to lose. But the side has enjoyed the rub of the green lately and a rejuvenated attack, led by Emilio's ruthlessly efficient finishing, has been a major factor in that development.

"The game was very compact in the first half. We didn't have space in the midfield and forward [areas]," said the Brazilian frontrunner. "But in the second half I think we moved the ball side to side, we looked for space, we played forward fast, we got chances and we scored goals."

United got the better of Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon in the 50th minute with Simms' twice-deflected blast from range. But Wells' fumble allowed San Jose to level matters almost immediately and the home side had to rely on a tremendous individual play from Gonzalo Martinez five minutes later.

The former Colombian international has been one of United's steadiest performers this season and his hard work was finally translated onto the scoresheet when he cut past Ronnie O'Brien and hammered his first-ever MLS goal past Cannon in the 55th minute.

"It was a great goal," said Emilio, an expert on the topic if there ever was one. "It's good for him, for his confidence. I think he was very good today and the goal was an award for that."

Even so, United let the Quakes hang around and were nearly punished for it when Shea Salinas broke clear and juked past Wells, necessitating a frantic goalmouth block by Devon McTavish to keep his team in front.

"They got in behind us," said McTavish, "Zach came out and did a good job of forcing him out wide, and I just went to cover the goal. I actually thought it went through my legs at first and then I popped up and saw it was outside the net. It's something that you're taught at a young age: when the goalie comes out, cover the goal."

A sending-off for San Jose defender James Riley, followed soon after by Emilio's late clincher, helped D.C. escape with a 3-1 win that was nowhere near as comfortable as it would seem on paper. A long, hard week on the training ground surely awaits the Black-and-Red.

"I always say that that's part of a good team," said Soehn. "When you don't have it, you still pull out a result. So we're going to chalk that one up to that, but we're going to get back to work and make sure we don't come out with the complacency we did today."


Grant: We’re Playing The Best Football
Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased
Sven: I’ve Done Well

Quakes content with result vs. RSL

xSALT LAKE CITY -- Other than a win, a clean sheet is the best thing the San Jose Earthquakes could have asked for in their first outing of a four-game road trip in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night.

After getting trounced by a combined seven goals at the hands of Real Salt Lake in their last two visits to Utah, a shorthanded Quakes side held RSL scoreless while playing the entire second half with 10 men. However, the Earthquakes weren't able to score any goals of their own.

Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop was proud of his players as they battled hard, playing a man down in the second half after Jason Hernandez was dismissed just before the break with his second yellow card. Yallop pointed out that getting ties against teams in the Western Conference helps to keep those teams within reach in the standings.

"What it does, it allows Salt Lake to not get three points," Yallop said about getting the draw. "And in our division, as we know, it's tight as anything. On the road, in division games, we don't want to lose. A tie is fine. Then in your home games against the division you want to try and get a win.

"Salt Lake will be upset that they didn't win, but it evens itself out in the end. They might not have been lucky tonight, but we've been unlucky in games and haven't won. That's just the way it shakes down."

The abrupt artificial surface at Rice-Eccles Stadium has not been kind to the Quakes this season. In their first visit, back in April, they were shellacked by four goals in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match. Then a few weeks later they returned for a league contest and were RSL hit the back of the net three times.

For San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon, there wasn't a huge change in the way his team defended in front of him to not allow any goals, but it was more of a heightened mental concentration. He pointed out that especially when a team goes down a man, their focus on the game changes.

"I think we did the little things a little better," said Cannon of the Quakes' performance. "And when we go a man down I think the focus goes completely on not letting in a goal. Where before you're trying to get the game-winner, you're trying to stretch."

Midfielder Ronnie O'Brien agreed with his goalkeeper that success is heavily linked to how their team approaches the game. O'Brien has seen that the Quakes are capable, but sometimes don't come mentally prepared for games.

"It's been a problem all year," O'Brien said about the Earthquakes leaking goals. "If we don't fight, and don't scrap with teams we don't get anything. All in all, if you watch a lot of our games we're a good footballing side. But, we have to earn the right to play. The games where we've been beaten very badly we haven't earned that right.

"Like, L.A. last week. We were second to every ball; we didn't get stuck in, and we get walked all over. Columbus the week before and tonight we were pretty physical, we get in, we do what we have to do to get on the ball. We were a hard team mentally and hopefully we're playing a bit better football."

Late in the second half the clean sheet looked to be in doubt as Kyle Beckerman tapped in a corner kick for RSL while standing on the post. San Jose contested heavily for an offside decision, as it appeared that Beckerman was behind the two Quakes defenders who stepped up off the posts during the play. The corner was first headed down by Robbie Findley, making Beckerman behind the line of defense when the ball was last touched.

The referee's assistant initially did not signal for offside. However after consulting with referee Jasen Anno, it was decided that Beckerman was offside and the goal did not count.

In a written statement following the match, it was revealed that the referee's assistant did not think Beckerman played the ball, thus he wasn't involved with the play and not offside, and he kept his flag down. Once he learned that Beckerman touched the ball it was decided that he was offside.

"Fortunately the referees got the offside call correct," Cannon said. "That could have been a huge turning point for us. Those are good breaks, and I think tonight that was the difference."

As Yallop said, getting a point on the road, especially when playing teams within your conference, is always a positive result. Quakes defender Kelly Gray warns that teams through out the league shouldn't be surprised by the results his team gets in their first year. Gray says that San Jose has what it needs to get results, and they shouldn't be overlooked.

"Being an expansion franchise everybody expects us to lose every game," Gray said. "But, we've got the players and we can do it -- we can win a lot of games this year. We've shown it in some of the games that we've played. It's just an attitude. We've got to bring in the right attitude day in and day out. We're turning that corner, we're getting close."


Steady progress being made by Quakes
Real defense remains strong
Bundesliga: top for goals
Jiménez Pleased With Victory

D.C. still searching for first shutout

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United can credit some excellent midfield play, an improved work rate and the resurgence of goalscorer Luciano Emilio for their four-game undefeated streak.

But even as the positive results pile up, the squad continues to chase another important marker of progress: a clean sheet. United have not held an opponent scoreless this season.

"I was disappointed that we gave up a goal," said D.C. coach Tom Soehn after Saturday's 4-1 victory against New York. "We're working hard on getting a clean sheet, but we haven't gotten a clean sheet yet and that's troublesome."

A hard-nosed defender in his playing days, Soehn would be expected to pay close attention to his back line's quest for perfection and the United defense is clearly eager to notch that achievement as a point of pride.

"It's something that's kind of driving us crazy," said Devon McTavish, whose move from midfield back to central defense has paid dividends. "We practice it every week and we're trying to get better but for some reason we always have some little letdown that lets a ball in. But it's getting better -- I don't think we're letting [in] soft goals as we had been earlier in the season."

Much of that improvement can be traced to an increasingly compact defensive shape -- but the Black-and-Red have also waded into physical battles with more enthusiasm.

"[Sometimes] the best thing you can do is get a body on someone and force them to make a spectacular play," said goalkeeper Zach Wells, "and that's what we're doing on those high balls, those balls in to the forwards' feet. We're putting bodies on people and making it hard for them to play simple stuff."

Perhaps the most important development has been a more assertive approach from Wells. The 27-year-old 'keeper looked hesitant in his early appearances for United and struggled to provide the communication needed to organize the back line. But in recent weeks he's gained a better understanding of his role within the team, one that he compares to his highly-decorated college career at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to an NCAA championship in 2002.

"I think now I understand what's expected of me as the goalkeeper for D.C. United. It's a little bit different than what was expected of me at New York and [Houston]," he said. "I think we're just starting to figure out where I fit in with the team and we're doing a better job of communication between myself and the coaches and what's expected, and that's translating on the field in success and confidence."

Earlier in the season, Soehn called on the tall Californian to pick up his game and the United boss was duly pleased with what he saw in Saturday's win against Wells' former team.

"He's manning the box a little bit more," said Soehn. "He's more decisive in the decisions he makes and that's what we've asked of him. He's starting to do that."

Troy Perkins, United's No. 1 netminder over the past two seasons, was known for patrolling his penalty area with authority and Wells is learning the importance of such assertiveness, especially in light of the direct, physical approach many opponents have used against his team.

"I feel like I'm seeing plays before they happen a lot better now. I'm able to read the game a little bit better and it makes it easier when the defense is organized," said Wells. "It becomes obvious whose ball is whose, as opposed to maybe when we're all over the place, it could be his, it could be mine. I'm trying to communicate earlier to clean up the situation."

His teammates have taken notice.

"He was definitely talking to us the whole time and when he needed to come out, he came out," said left back Marc Burch on Saturday. "He made some big saves today."

At one point during their spring skid, D.C. was leaking more than two goals a game on average. Enhanced trust and cohesion along the back line has seen those numbers drop off significantly during the past month, but the squad is keenly aware that sustained success will require virtually error-free defending.

"We have a good relationship back there," said McTavish. "For the past couple of games I think we've just been unfortunate to let goals in, but that's kind of the way it goes. If you give people in this league opportunities, they're starting to finish them now, so we just need to get tighter back there."


One last clean sheet for Kahn
United focused on more than revenge

Ralston goal earns point for Revs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Forget about the midfield. Maybe Steve Ralston's next career move will see him play striker after his late goal earned the New England Revolution a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.

Seth Stammler volleyed home a Dave van den Bergh cross after 37 minutes to put the Red Bulls ahead. New York held the lead late into the second half until Ralston, deployed up front after Adam Cristman went off injured with 20 minutes to play, slotted home a Kheli Dube knockdown 11 minutes before the final whistle to earn the Revolution a share of the points.

The point extended New England's league-best unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2).

Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph returned from national team duty with Grenada to claim a place in the starting XI. Pat Phelan dropped to the bench in the side's only change from last Thursday's 2-0 victory in Houston.

New York made five changes from the team that lost 4-1 in D.C. last Saturday. Out went Danleigh Borman, Chris Leitch, Jeff Parke, Luke Sassano and John Wolyniec. In came Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes, Mike Magee, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Oscar Echeverry. Juan Carlos Osorio deployed Mendes at the base of a midfield diamond in an attempt to mark Revolution playmaker Steve Ralston.

Ubiparipovic nearly gave his side the lead inside six minutes after firing home a cross from the right wing, but the assistant referee's flag waved off the effort.

Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway palmed away Jeff Larentowicz's shot over the bar soon afterwards as the Revs tried to translate their possession into a tangible advantage.

But the visitors plugged away and started to press forward as the Red Bulls defense dealt comfortably with the Revolution attack.

New York found the opening goal in the 37th minute with Stammler's sublime piece of finishing, but the manner of the goal left the Revolution bench fuming as Mauricio Castro lay prone in his offensive half after contorting his body while attempting to strike the ball and suffering a right oblique strain in the process.

Jon Conway eventually collected the ball and started the counterattack, freeing van den Bergh down the left wing. The Dutchman's cross found the plot of grass left unoccupied by Castro and Stammler's volley snuck past Matt Reis at the near post.

Echeverry should have doubled the advantage a minute before the break after Dane Richards' mazy run sliced open the Revolution defense, but the Colombian striker dragged his effort wide.

Cristman slammed the first chance of the second half, direct from a friendly bounce off a Jay Heaps throw-in, off Conway's chest when a slotted ball either side would have found goal.

The teams then exchanged a series of half-chances as the game lost much of its flow. A van den Bergh free kick nearly snuck in at the far post but Reis had it covered. Then Dube flashed a shot just wide of Conway's far post. Mike Magee saw his free kick deflected just over Reis' net.

Out of nothing, New England found its equalizer. Dube cushioned Jay Heaps' diagonal ball from the right side down into Ralston's path. The midfielder, shunted up front after Cristman went off injured, took a touch, saw no pressure coming seven yards from goal and slotted home to the far post past the hopeless Conway.

With the equalizer in hand, the Revolution pressed forward for the winner and nearly found it two minutes before time. Nyassi's cross from the right side found Ralston's diving header. Conway's outstretched left hand parried the ball away to Dube, who saw his shot saved by Conway's right palm. The double save ensured the Red Bulls would return to the Meadowlands with their fifth away point of the season (1-3-2).


Fire again roll to rout of Revolution
Madrid Outrun Racing To Go Ten Clear
Dube, Revs steal share of MLS lead
First away win since October

Hyndman hopes to untap FCD potential

FRISCO, Texas -- After nearly a month without a permanent head coach, FC Dallas announced Schellas Hyndman as their new head coach on Tuesday. Hyndman, 58, had been the head men's soccer coach at nearby Southern Methodist University since 1984. He had a 368-98-38 record leading the Mustangs and led them to the NCAA tournament in 24 of his 25 seasons there, including two trips to the NCAA College Cup.

"We feel that he's the right type of leader for this team to help us reach our potential," said FCD president and general manager Michael Hitchcock. "He's a passionate leader and a strong leader. A trademark of the teams that he has coached is that they're disciplined, they're hard-working, fight for one another and are difficult to play against. That's a direct reflection on the type of leader Schellas is. We're confident that Schellas will be able to take this team forward and help us reach our potential."

Hyndman's name has surfaced as a candidate for the FCD job several times before but what made this opportunity different was the timing.

"This is a really special day for me and my family," he said. "I'm excited for many reasons. Years ago, when they started MLS, I wanted the opportunity to coach at the highest level. I've had some opportunities but the timing really wasn't right. When this opportunity came around, my family and I talked about it and decided that this was the best time in my life for me to be a part of such a great organization."

The new Hoops boss was in attendance at Sunday's 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park, along with former Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger, who will be Hyndman's top assistant, and liked what he saw.

"I've been a great fan (of this club) for all these years and don't think I have ever missed a game either on TV or in person," Hyndman said. "This team is outstanding with the talent that they have and they play the type of soccer that I believe in, which is more of a possession style and quality control style."

For Hyndman, the move was all about leaving his comfort zone.

"We all go through life in a comfort zone," he said. "I've been at SMU for 24 years and it's been a very comfortable position. I could be there for the next 10 years. We all strive to do something special and I think this is that opportunity to do something special. My goals are very simple, to continue to find success for FC Dallas, to compete for an MLS championship and to make Dallas very proud of the team we put on the field."

It had been rumored that Hyndman would hold the dual role of head coach and technical director but Hitchcock put that to rest.

"Right now, we're not hiring a technical director but that's something that we'll continue to evaluate and something that I think we'll consider in the future," he said. "More and more teams are heading in that direction, hiring someone that can provide more resources and bring in a different perspective."

Hyndman looks forward to working with Ellinger, a longtime friend, once again.

"Having John Ellinger come on board for us will be tremendous," he said. "Not only is he a good friend but he has also coached recently at Real (Salt Lake). I think there will be a learning curve but I feel very comfortable about it."

One pressing issue for the new head coach is filling some open spots on the FCD roster.

"I think right now there are three roster spots open, so we'll be looking for players to fill those spots," Hyndman said. "I think this is a very good team. There are outstanding players on this team who are capable of continuing to find success like they did on Sunday in ungodly temperatures."

But first, he and his staff, which will include holdovers Marco Ferruzzi, who served as FCD's interim head coach after Morrow's dismissal, and goalkeeping coach Drew Keeshan, need to evaluate their current personnel.

"You have to give the coaching staff the opportunity to evaluate the players in training and to evaluate the players to see if they can do the type of things that we're going to ask them to do for our system of play for their job description," Hyndman said. "A designated player would be a player who would add something special to this team. We have no idea who that may be or if that may be someone. Right now, we will be evaluating players first."

Hyndman wanted to emphasize that even though he is new to MLS, he doesn't plan on changing his approach to training.

"I think I'm more of a hands-on person," he said. "I think it's important that coaches run the training sessions so that they can develop relationships with their players. Some coaches like to sit back like a manager and watch training sessions but my strength is more being on the field. I think I have to have complete respect for my staff that they're also very involved in the sessions."

He also said that his goals and those of the players are already in sync.

"I want the same thing that the players want -- personal success for them and personal success for the team," Hyndman said. "I think the players will know if a person can coach or can't coach. There are no pretenders here. I think coaches will know if players can play or can't play immediately. The greatest adjustment is going to be understanding the rules, salary cap and those types of things. The area that I feel most comfortable with is the coaching."

Being able to stay in the Dallas area, where he has coached since 1984 was another perk for Hyndman about the FCD position.

"It feels fantastic (to be able to stay here)," he said. "There have been opportunities to go other places but I love Dallas and my family loves Dallas. The fact that I can stay here in a city that I love and try to win a championship for a professional team is everything I could dream of."


Schäfer excused from training
Citing direction, FCD remove coach
Guzan hopes to seize opportunity

McCarty returns to field with Hoops

FRISCO, Texas -- After missing six games while recovering from sports hernia surgery, third-year midfielder Dax McCarty returned to the field for FC Dallas on Sunday.

Coming on in the 64th minute for Marcelo Saragosa, it didn't take long for McCarty to leave an impact on what ended up a 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire on a sultry day at Pizza Hut Park. McCarty nearly got his second assist of the year when he served a great corner toward the far post. That cross was met by speedy Hoops forward Dominic Oduro, who headed the ball with authority toward the net before being robbed by Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch. But the great ball served notice that McCarty was back.

"I felt good," he said. "For me, it seems like it's been a while since I've been out and the whole rehab process has been a frustrating one. I just feel good to get back out there and be able to help the team. We played pretty well throughout the entire game as a team and (interim head coach) Marco (Ferruzzi) wanted to give me a run out to help kill the game off by keeping possession a little bit. I felt like I did OK.

"I only had a couple of training sessions under my belt but felt that the best way for me to get back in shape was to play, especially in that type of heat, where I would get a little bit of fitness back," he continued. "I felt pretty tired towards the end of the game even though it was only 30 minutes. I felt like I came on, helped the team and that we achieved what we wanted to."

So far this year, he has appeared in seven games, four of those starts. McCarty has one assist in 2008, the secondary assist on Kenny Cooper's fifth-minute goal in a 2-0 win at Chivas USA on April 20. His last start came in a 1-0 loss to New England on April 24 and his last action before Sunday was in a 0-0 draw at San Jose on May 3, when he played the final 21 minutes after coming on for Andre Rocha.

In 2007, McCarty broke out with one goal and a team-leading seven assists in 25 games, 18 of those starts for the Hoops. He posted those numbers despite missing five games while with the U.S. at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada.

Before last season, he went to Germany for surgery to take care of a sports hernia on his right side. McCarty saw the same thing flare up this year but on his left side and had the same procedure performed the week of May 15. He admits that he has progressed well but isn't quite back at 100 percent.

"I'd say that I'm still at 75 to 80 percent," he said. "I'm still feeling a tiny bit of pain in there and it has to do with a little tendonitis that I've had in my groin. That's something that we're looking to take care of as well, but I don't feel like I'm getting worse, which is where it was earlier in the recovery. When I came back, I felt like it was worse some days. I feel like I've hit a good point right now where I'm at 75-80 percent and fitness-wise, I'm still not there. But that's going to come with games and I feel like if I keep playing and try to push that threshold of where I'm at right now, then I will be good to go."

The last time that McCarty had the surgery, it was during the offseason and it also wasn't an Olympic year. But he admits that being in contention for a spot on the U.S. under-23 team that will go to Beijing in a few months have made him rush a little bit to return.

"The last few weeks have been really frustrating for me," he said. "FC Dallas is my first priority but the Olympics are one of the biggest sporting events in the world and that's always in the back of your mind. There's nothing I can do to not think about that.

"At this point, it's probably about a month or month and a half away. It's a race to get fit and reach that peak fitness level. For the coaches to choose me, I can't be going in there at 80 or 90 percent. That was in the back of my head about whether I will be ready in time or not," McCarty continued. "I went through the setback, kept working hard and the trainers were great through this in not forcing me to do anything. I feel like I'm on the right track not just to help Dallas but also to possibly go to the Olympics."

While McCarty's rehabilitation has taken a bit longer than expected, the young midfielder has learned a valuable lesson from the entire experience.

"The reason for that is that the last time I had it done, it was during the offseason," McCarty said. "Getting a surgery done in the offseason (as in 2007), there was no pressure to come back and to rush things. With this surgery, since it's in the middle of the year, it was a pretty frustrating decision to make but I felt like it was a decision that I had to make. It's just been tough because I felt like I tried to get back into things a little bit too early.

"I tried to start doing things before I was ready but those are the little setbacks that you go through," he said. "I feel like this surgery has taught me that patience is the best way to go in terms of energy. I learned my lesson. I'm starting to get back into it and am feeling better. I'm looking forward to playing some more."


Klinsmann appoints backroom staff at Bayern
Frei surgery successful
Hoops look for fast starts to continue