Wagner and Wooten Remain Sidelined With Injuries for the Union
Left-back Kai Wagner injured his calf on the week of Jan. 27, has missed every preseason game since then, and is still not back in training.
There have not been any specifics to the injury, and Wagner will not be travel or be ready for the team’s season opener this Saturday.
Wagner will likely be out for the first few weeks of the 2020 MLS season, and possibly make a return in the Union’s home opener on Mar. 14.
Striker Andrew Wooten suffered a quad injury in the first Florida stint of the preseason, and then re-injured it recently. Wooten had a PRP injection this week, which is a platelet-rich plasma therapy that uses injections of a concentration of a patient’s own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints.
The likely replacement for Wagner will be Homegrown player Matt Real, from Drexel Hill, PA. In 2019 Real made three appearances and one start for the Boys in Blue, as he recorded one assist. Real will need to step up in his new role and defend or thwart opposing attacks at a consistent rate. Manager Jim Curtin has put the trust in him through interviews this offseason, so it is all up to Real to deliver at this point.
As for the backup striker role, 19-year-old Michee Ngalina and 17-year-old Homegrown player Jack de Vries will enter the frame in hopes of earning some substitute minutes with the absence of Wooten. Ngalina earned one appearance for the U as a substitute against Portland on May 25. de Vries was signed to a contract on Aug. 20 but has not made an appearance for the team yet.
With little to no MLS experience, Ngalina and de Vries are being thrust into a tough situation but will need to make the most of a great opportunity. Philadelphia struggled with scoring goals consistently in the 2019 season, so as substitutes, Curtin will be asking a lot out of de Vries and Ngalina towards the beginning of the season. Here’s hoping they both can deliver the game in and game out while keeping the team in matches and a position to succeed.
With the Union suffering through some injuries heading into the season, the depth of the roster will be tested early and often. Sporting Director Ernst Tanner constructed this team so that they would be in a good position to do well if injuries like this occurred.
As fans of the team, all we can do now is hope that the backups fulfill their duties and truly deliver for the Boys in Blue.
Featured Image: Joe Tansey/Pro Soccer USA
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