Reports: New York Red Bulls expect Kemar Lawrence to be out for four weeks (ish)

Word out of the New York Red Bulls' Monday training session is Kemar Lawrence is returned from his short Copa America excursion with Jamaica, and the club's current expectation is in line with the initial diagnosis offered by the Reggae Boyz: the defender will be out for at least a month.

It was about a week ago that reports out of Jamaica's Copa America camp suggested Lawrence would need four to six weeks to recover from the injury he aggravated during the Reggae Boyz group stage game against Venezuela. RBNY head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters on Monday he hoped the recovery would be "around the four-week range."

With Jamaica head coach Winfried Schaefer suggesting Lawrence's injury was a result of the player's inadequate management of his own health, perhaps a prolonged rest is for the best.

Lawrence can be expected to miss at least four RBNY league games and the upcoming US Open Cup match against Rochester Rhinos. And it wouldn't be a great surprise if he missed the glut of matches in mid-July: the Red Bulls are scheduled to play three times in MLS from July 10 to 17.

In top form, he is the best left back in MLS and among the best in CONCACAF. It is to be hoped this break will see him return at something close to that best.