'IT'S NOTHING MAJOR' Reyna hopes to play vs. Crew Saturday
East Rutherford, N.J. -- For the second time this young MLS season, Claudio Reyna watched a Red Bulls game in street clothes on the sidelines at Giants Stadium.
For the club's home opener against F.C. Dallas April 15, Reyna was suffering from a left leg contusion he received in the season-opener the week prior.
For the Red Bulls' 1-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids Sunday, the Springfield, N.J. native was forced out due to a strained right groin muscle.
Reyna, who had a history of injuries while performing in Europe, hurt his groin during a Saturday practice. To stay on the safe side, Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena decided to sit his captain and central midfielder.
"We didn't want to rush it," Reyna said in the team's locker room at Giants Stadium after the game. "I wasn't ready to play."
Arena noted that Reyna missed the April 15 match.
"We've won games without him on the field," he said. "Certainly it helps. Center midfield was not good for us today."
Without Reyna to run the show, the team's passing and organization was poor.
"Of course we miss Claudio," midfielder Dema Kovalenko said. "He's our captain. He's our leader. With him there, we move the ball. It's more calm. . . . He will be back."
Reyna was optimistic that he would be ready to play for Saturday's home encounter against the Columbus Crew.
"Obviously when the team loses, everything is escalated," he said. "It's won't be long-term. We got our hands on it. It's nothing major.
"Hopefully by the next game it will be all right."
Reyna hoped the Red Bulls had learned a lesson or two in an otherwise lackluster performance.
"So much was made of them playing on Thursday and arriving late," he said of Colorado, which played host Real Salt Lake to a 1-1 draw before flying to New Jersey. "That we would just win the game without playing it.
"Maybe it was a little bit of a weake-up call for us, that you we do not take any games for granted, especially at home.
