A Nightmare of Hamstring Injuries at Charlotte FC
- Andrew Crowell
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
By Andrew Crowell
As we move into the final months of the season, it is no secret that Charlotte FC has a bit of an injury crisis on its hands. MVP candidate Pep Biel suffered a hamstring injury against Chivas in the Leagues Cup on August 5th, with different players filling the attacking mid role since.
Since the injury, Charlotte may have kept their winning streak in the MLS by defeating Real Salt Lake last matchweek, but there is still no replacing the hole in the attack where Biel facilitated many chances for the Crown. The hope is that Biel can fight this off and not turn into a chronic problem. With an estimated return for the match against NYCFC on September 19th, Charlotte must maintain its current momentum of winning until then to make a hopeful push into the playoffs.
Pep Biel hasn’t been the only problem child this season. Fullback Souleyman Doumbia has sustained two separate hamstring injuries since April and remains sidelined, which ultimately led to Charlotte buying out his contract and releasing him. Defender Bill Tuiloma picked up a hamstring injury, as revealed by Dean Smith in the press conference on August 14.
In the same press conference, Smith also revealed an injury to Tyger Smalls, which later turned out to be hamstring-related. These are the kind of problems the club can’t afford to have, especially in their starting players. Hamstring injuries are the most prevalent non-contact injury in soccer, and they are notorious for their high recurrence rate as well. This means that this is not a problem that will ever go away. What is essential is proper squad rotation, as well as the strengthening and flexibility of these muscles, provided by the training staff.
Finally, the club just brought in exciting young Australian forward Archie Goodwin from Adelaide United. While the Aussie is an exciting prospect after winning the Australian League Golden Boot, he also comes with a nagging hamstring problem that has kept him out for the last few months (per transfermarkt.us).
Having quality players and squad depth means nothing if they can’t stay on the pitch. Here's hoping that Charlotte can find a way to keep the squad healthy as they push for the playoffs in the coming months.