Houston — Houston Dynamo midfielder Juan David Cabezas is getting back to action. After a series of injuries that kept him from playing, all he wants now is to get back into a rhythm and stay away from additional injuries.
Due to a serious thigh injury in 2018, he missed most of last season but reappeared just in time to make a difference in the midfield and was essential in aiding the Dynamo to their first ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“Last year was worse, and it was longer because I reinjured (my thigh) over and over,” Cabezas said.
During the 2019 Concacaf Champions League match against CD Guastatoya in Guatemala back in February, Cabezas once again was burdened with an injury that kept him off the pitch for almost two months.
“I was frustrated. I felt bad, of course. I wanted to start the season playing,” Cabezas said when asked about his most recent injury.
Cabezas finally had some playing minutes when he subbed into the games against San Jose and the L.A. Galaxy, playing a total of 12 minutes. He might get some minutes in Saturday against Columbus Crew, too.
“We want to recover him completely, and when we say completely healthy, he is fine, but he needs to play more games to get the rhythm in order for him to be sharp in terms of competition,” Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera said.
Although Cabezas has been missed on the playing field, Cabrera said he will have to work hard to earn his spot back, just like the rest of his teammates.
“It’s a competition internally right now, the team is first. We have several players in the same position and they are all playing well,” Cabrera said.
For now, Cabezas is focused on getting back to when he was the undisputed starter of the team.