May 8, 2008 THEY'RE OUT Reyna, Stammler to miss L.A. match
Seth Stammler (above) and Claudio Reyna will miss Saturday's game vs the L.A. Galaxy. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Dylan Butler
BigAppleSoccer.com Associate Editor
Montclair, N.J. -- Red Bulls midfielders Seth Stammler and Claudio Reyna have been ruled out of Saturday's clash with the Galaxy and neither will make the trip to Los Angeles Thursday.
Reyna suffered a left calf strain in the 1-1 draw with Toronto FC last Thursday and hasn't trained all week.
This will be the first time Reyna will be sidelined this season. He played in and started 21 out of a possible 30 games last season.
Stammler, the Red Bulls' defensive midfielder, picked up a lower back injury in Wednesday's training session. He saw a specialist Wednesday and Thursday and had an MRI Wednesday.
"He just turned, felt it and went down on the floor," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said.
This will be a rare game missed for Stammler, who was the Red Bulls' ironman last season. He played and started in a possible 29 of 30 regular-season matches. Only defender-midfielder Dave van den Bergh played in as many games on the club.
Jozy Altidore, who missed training Tuesday and Wednesday because of an allergic reaction, was back on the grass Thursday and said it felt better and was making the trip to the West Coast.
"I guess it was something that got my allergies going, something in the grass," Altidore said. "I had to step out a couple of days and take care of it, but I’m fine. It was something I breathed in. I was starting to get really puffy and I was hacking. I was fortunate enough I went to a good doctor and got it taken care of."
Altidore said he doesn't feel fatigued, as Osorio has claimed this week. But Osorio did admit the 18-year-old phenom looked fresh Thursday.
"All I know from my six years of experience in Europe is when you have a young, talented player like he is, you have to be very careful," Osorio said. "You cannot neglect the training part. You cannot just go out and play and play games and not train at all. That’s what we’re trying to do here. We’re trying to monitor his training and his recovery days."
Juan Pablo Angel still feels sore, even though it's been a full week since the Red Bulls last played.
"It’s been a very slow progress," Angel said. "I’m still feeling the hamstring. I guess the only way to get rid of those things is to keep playing and handle the pain as much as you can."
"It’s like up-and-down, up-and-down; it’s been like a roller coaster," Angel added. "This week, especially after the Toronto game, it’s been really sore. I just hope by the time we start the game in L.A. I’m going to feel better. I’m digging in there, trying to do everything the manager asks, and hopefully this thing will be sorted out soon."
While the six-hour flight to Los Angeles surely won't help his nerve-related back injury, the chance to play on the natural grass of the Home Depot Center more than makes up for it.
"I think it’s a great thing, especially for me and some of the guys who have problems," he said. "Just the fact that we’re going to play on grass will be much better and more beneficial for everyone involved."
