D.C. United’s pesky injury bug appears to be nearing an end.
Goalkeeper Bill Hamid and midfielder Santino Quaranta are set to make a return to the starting lineup against Chivas USA on Wednesday at RFK Stadium (Buy tickets) after missing Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders.
Quaranta, who was scratched from the lineup against Seattle with a left quadriceps spasm, trained all last week in the lead-up to the game but was eventually held out from the 18-man roster.
“It was a mutual decision not to play,” Quaranta said. “I feel better – I think that it was the right decision at the time.”
The same can be said for Hamid, who was on the bench in the loss to Seattle with a hamstring problem that flared up in United’s Sept. 10 matchup with the Goats at the Home Depot Center.
It can’t be said, however, for center back Dejan Jakovic, who continues to struggle with his second hamstring injury of the season.
“Dejan might have a ways to go, still not sure, still hoping for the best for him,” DC head coach Ben Olsen said.
Added Jakovic: “I don’t want to force anything – it’s not 100 percent. I want to come back fully ready to go.”
Jakovic injured his left hamstring while on international duty with Canada in June and was sidelined for two months. The two injuries are unrelated.
Rookie Ethan White is likely to start in Jakovic's place once again.
Jakovic traveled with the team on their recent road trip to LA and Seattle in hopes of making his return.
“I was training while we were in LA right before the Chivas game, and I kind of tweaked it again, that was the problem,” Jakovic said. “I was supposed to probably play in the Seattle game, that’s why I went… I’m doing everything [in training], sprinting slowly, so we’ll see how it goes.”
After suffering the setback, Jakovic didn’t make the roster in the loss to the Sounders, and he is expected to miss Wednesday’s match. Jakovic could make a return on Saturday as DC host Real Salt Lake.
Travis Clark covers D.C. United, College and Youth soccer for MLSsoccer.com.
