FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Nobody was more disappointed about the New England Revolution’s early exit from the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs than Darrius Barnes.
The 28-year-old defender spent six grueling months rehabbing from knee surgery and was on the verge of a full return, having recently rejoined his teammates for training sessions. He was confident that had the Revs advanced deeper into the postseason, he could’ve played a part on the field in 2015.
But it wasn’t to be.
“Obviously I wanted the team to win and to get on to the next round,” Barnes said. “But selfishly, I wanted that opportunity. I’ve been grinding, working hard to try to make it back at some point this season. To just fall short and not have the opportunity was just a little gut punch.
“The knee’s feeling good. I was ready to go. It was just a matter of fitness. I think if we would’ve advanced, I would’ve been able to be in the 18 and provide a spark for the team if called upon.”
Instead, Barnes was forced to turn his attention to next season, and he’s convinced that with another two months of hard work, he’ll return an even better player than before the surgery.
Barnes had been coping with patellar tendonitis – a painful condition, commonly referred to as “jumper’s knee,” which affects the tendon connecting the kneecap and the shin – for quite some time.
“Pretty much ever since I got in the league,” said the seven-year veteran.
Season after season, Barnes managed the pain. He rested when necessary throughout the course of the week to let the knee recover. He took medication before games so he could battle through 90 minutes. He told himself that he could play through it, delaying the necessary surgery until after his career.
But on April 11, late in a 0-0 draw with Columbus Crew SC, Barnes had his hand forced.
“It was a play in the second half – I don’t really remember what minute it was – but I just kind of took a jab step to change direction and just kind of felt it jam up,” Barnes recalls. “It just felt different than times when I’d kind of jammed it before.”
Barnes played through the rest of the match, helping the Revs to a third shutout in four games. But when he had trouble walking after the match, he scheduled an MRI and his worst fears were confirmed.
The “little micro tears in the tendon” Barnes had been playing with for years had worsened to the point that he had torn the tendon about 60 percent off the patella.
“I tried to hold off to see if maybe the strength could come back,” Barnes said, defiant as ever. “But at that point, it was only a matter of time.”
So on April 24, Barnes underwent surgery to repair the torn patellar tendon in his left knee, effectively ending his 2015 campaign. He spent six weeks on crutches and another four saddled by a cumbersome brace before he could finally begin the long road to recovery.
It was a case of terrible timing for Barnes, who had finally settled into a starting role along the Revolution’s backline after years of bouncing around as the club’s most reliable utility man.
“It was just tough for me because I finally thought I was getting some consistency and getting a good run of games,” Barnes said. “I thought it was my chance to kind of take hold on a position and put a stamp on a spot, a position on this team. But injuries are part of the game.
“It was just unfortunate timing for the team and myself in that the defensive depth wasn’t really there this year and I wasn’t there to help my teammates.”
Disappointment and frustration aside, Barnes has never been one to sulk. Instead of spending the past six months with a “woe-is-me” attitude, he put his head down and worked his tail off to make sure that when he returned to the field, he’d be the best player he could possibly be.
Part of that was the physical recovery, of course, but there were other side effects of being sidelined for an entire season that Barnes ultimately used to his advantage.
“You kind of step back from the game, you watch the games from a different point of view, you see things that you wouldn’t see while you’re on the field,” Barnes said. “I feel like I’m a better player just from watching games and seeing how some things played out, seeing certain situations and circumstances on the field, and just being in the locker room with these guys and hearing some of the chatter.”
Barnes said he’s mentally a stronger person – and player – for having gone through the process of a lengthy recovery. “You learn about yourself, the will and the fight you have to have,” he said.
And what about physically? After playing through pain year after year, how is Barnes feeling now that, for perhaps the first time in his professional career, he’s fully healthy?
“I was telling Jay (Heaps) and the athletic trainers,” Barnes said, “that it feels better than even before I had the surgery or pre-injury with the issues I was having.”
If it had been up to Darrius Barnes, he would’ve played the rest of his career with pain in his knee, quietly undergone surgery after retirement, and Revolution fans would’ve been none the wiser.
But one awkward step back in April altered that path. And Barnes, because he never hesitated in diving head first into that new path, just may end up better off.
“I feel like this injury’s definitely going to be a blessing in disguise for me,” said Barnes, ever the optimist. “Next year will be a big season for me to come back fully healthy and strong. I think next year, there are big things in store for this team.”
