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The New York Red Bulls were dealt a blow on Sunday when Tim Cahill came off after only 21 minutes clutching his right leg. During the MSG broadcast, it was confirmed that Cahill came off with a hamstring injury. Today, Cahill announced that he will miss the next 2-3 weeks to rehab his leg.
Found out that I will be out for 2-3 weeks with Hamstring problem. @NewYorkRedBulls #Socceroos Working with the best to get fit asap. #RBNY
— Tim Cahill (@Tim_Cahill) April 1, 2014
Cahill wasn't the only player to pick up a knock against Chivas USA. Richard Eckersley spained his ankle, and was taken off before halftime. According to Petke (as reported by Empire of Soccer), his ankle was "swollen like a baseball". You won't find much sympathy among RBNY faithful for Eckersley given Petke's stubbornness to keep him in the lineup despite bad moments that has cost the team. Kosuke Kimura, who came on for the injured Eckersley, was also seen limping towards the end of the Chivas match, so his status unknown.
If Kimura and Eckersley can't play against the Montreal Impact, New York will have to dig deep into the depth chart for a replacement, and that's not the only issue for New York going into the weekend. Saturday's game will be played at Olympic Stadium, which uses turf; not Saputo Stadium, which uses grass. That means we can expect both Thierry Henry & Jamison Olave to miss the game, just like they did in the season opener at the Vancouver Whitecaps. So for the next few weeks, the Red Bulls will be under some serious roster strain. Will their option to keep turnover to a minimum (and low cap space) come back to haunt them early this year?
