FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As the New England Revolution prepare for their third match of the 2019 campaign, there are a couple key pieces that are still working towards full health and fitness.
The Caicedo duo – second-year midfielder Luis and recently-signed forward Juan Fernando –have been limited and sidelined, respectively, for the past two weeks, but they should both be game ready soon, perhaps in time for this weekend's trip to Toronto FC.
Luis Caicedo, who made 30 appearances (29 starts) in his inaugural year with New England, suffered a minor ankle injury during preseason, which limited his minutes during that crucial development period. Head coach Brad Friedel stressed that the 22-year-old midfielder is a player who always puts everything he has out on the pitch, and that is why they have been so cautious with giving him time to ensure that he is properly healed.
While Luis made a late substitute appearance in the season opener at FC Dallas, he's still just shy of 90-minutes fitness, although he did get a significant run-out in the Revs' reserve match against Fairfield University this past Sunday.
“[Luis is] close,” said Friedel. “We had a reserve game on Sunday and he came through very, very well, so hopefully we’ll see him on the pitch soon.”
On the other hand, Juan Fernando Caicedo has yet to make his debut in a New England jersey. He picked up a minor muscular injury during preseason in Florida, and according to Friedel, his status has been assessed as “day-to-day.”
“Hopefully we’ll see Juan Fernando soon, as well,” said Friedel.
“He has been day-to-day. He’s been doing a lot of fitness work. We were a little bit worried about a possible reaction to include him last weekend (against Columbus), so hopefully he’s nearing the field very soon, as well.”
The Revs will kick off against Toronto FC at BMO Field on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., with coverage in English on NBC Sports Boston and 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA.
