FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Concerned fans of the New England Revolution wondered aloud in recent days – via social media – whether the shoulder injury Diego Fagundez suffered against the Montreal Impact would sideline him for Sunday’s regular-season finale against New York City FC.
Fagundez, meanwhile, was more concerned about practice. Call him the anti-Allen Iverson.
“I was out here on Monday with the team. There’s no way I was going to miss practice for this,” said Fagundez, who was a full participant in training. “It’s something small. It’s not really a big deal.”
That news comes as a relief to Revolution fans who watched Fagundez favor his right shoulder for the final half-hour of last weekend’s loss to Montreal, after tumbling awkwardly in the 60th minute.
Play was briefly halted as referee Mark Geiger checked on the Revolution midfielder, but he received no treatment from the athletic trainers and soldiered on despite noticeable discomfort.
“It was tough,” Fagundez said. “You’re going to get injuries in the game, but I was trying to fight through it. I didn’t want to leave the field because we were playing well as a team and trying to get a goal.
“I was just trying to give everything I had, as much pain as I had. I felt like I needed to be on the field.”
Early indications are that Fagundez will be on the field on Sunday, as well, when the Revs visit NYCFC in the regular-season finale at Yankee Stadium. A win or draw would secure the Revolution’s place in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, which begin next Wednesday with the knockout round.
And with a week to recover, Fagundez should be decidedly more comfortable this weekend.
“It’s feeling pretty good right now,” he said. “It was nothing major. I’m just looking forward to training and making sure it heals the right way, and try to play on Sunday.”
No special treatment was necessary for the sore shoulder – “Rest and ice. That’s all you can do right now,” Fagundez said – but the Revs will still be cautious with the young attacker ahead of this weekend’s Decision Day trip to Yankee Stadium.
“I still have to be careful with it,” Fagundez said. “But I’m ready to go.”
