Hello, quick practice update for y'all.
Just forwards Christian Ramirez and Abu Danladi, as well as midfielder Sam Cronin, were missing from Minnesota United practice Tuesday at the National Sports Center. (OK, well so were Jose Leiton, Bertrand Owundi Eko'o and Luiz Fernando, but just consider those guys absent until I say otherwise.)
Ramirez rolled his ankle left ankle in the first half of Saturday's 3-2 loss at San Jose. While he still stayed in to play, Heath said it was quite swollen after the game. Danladi had a muscle strain prior to the season opener but still started. He pulled his left hamstring about 30 minutes into the game and came off for Ramirez. Cronin has ongoing concussion issues.
Coach Adrian Heath said Ramirez would be a game-time decision for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Orlando City SC. That will probably be "too early" for Danladi, according to the coach. But both midfielder Harrison Heath, who had an MCL strain, and left back Marc Burch, who had an ankle injury, practiced in full Tuesday. (Burch worked with Francisco Calvo, Brent Kallman and Tyrone Mears on a back line.)
Harrison Heath said he felt "good, finally."
"It's been a bit of a frustrating preseason for me, few knocks and then I got the flu," he said. "I missed a few games in preseason, so I'm still working on sort of getting back to full fitness."
Anyhow, about that season opener, Adrian Heath reiterated that after a few times watching it through again, he thought United's shape, tempo, possession, approach and control was good. Just those costly mistakes in the middle of the game made the difference.
"I can't fault the boys for their determination to try and get back in the game because at no stage did they switch off down two-nil. I was pleased with that," Adrian Heath said. "I think individual errors cost you. Now obviously, eventually, if the same people keep making individual errors, then you eventually look at changing [the lineup]."
But it doesn't sound like he's anticipating making any big overhauls for Orlando. Heath also said he thought midfielder Rasmus Schuller looked like the player the team thought it was getting last year.
