The Houston Dynamo personnel woes continue. The club confirmed this week that rookie forward Mark Sherrod will miss the rest of the season due a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Sherrod left Wednesday’s loss to D.C. United after suffering the injury while battling Bobby Boswell for a ball in the corner early in the game. The rookie immediately hit the ground and was sent back to Houston for evaluation. An MRI Thursday revealed the injury ending Sherrod’s season.
“Your team is your family so it’s tough to hear any of the guys getting hurt, especially being out for as long as what that injury entails,” Tally Hall told MLSsoccer.com from San Jose, where the club is prepping for Sunday’s game against the Earthquakes.
“You look at Mark’s mentality, you look at his work ethic, when he comes back he’ll continue to be an important part of his team," Hall continued. “It seems like every year you go through a spell where you’re putting guys in positions they don’t usually play and guys are getting a chance to make a name for themselves and this year’s no different.”
The injury brings an early end to a promising debut campaign for Sherrod. The second round SuperDraft pick out of Memphis was an unknown quantity heading into the season, but he quickly earned playing time with his work ethic and physical play. Once in the lineup, he produced, scoring twice and picking up an assist.
Now he joins Tony Cascio (knee) on the season-ending injury list. Heading to Northern California, the Dynamo are also without Ricardo Clark (concussion), the suspended Brian Ownby and the World Cup bound duo of Brad Davis and Boniek García. Veteran defender Eric Brunner is not listed on the injury report for the first time since surgery on his right ankle in April.
After recalling Jason Johnson and Anthony Arena from loans with USL PRO side Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Houston might still be forced to dress less than a full squad on Sunday. If so, it would be the fourth game in a row they are at less than full strength.
“I don’t think that’s too common,” Hall said with laugh. “It is what it is. This is our job; we’ve never been one to make excuses for anything. We have enough guys to win the game and that’s what matters and we believe this is a game we can win.”
Hall maintained what the club believes is that when players go down it is an opportunity for others. This time around, Servando Carrasco or Alex López could get the call, or Jamaican international Omar Cummings could get an extended run at forward.
“You have guys that maybe the fans haven’t seen very much but the team knows and has confidence in, and we’re ready for them to be a big part of our success,” Hall said. “We just have the mentality right now to just be a positive force for the team and sometimes that’s what it takes to win.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
