David Ochoa Suffers Setback During Recovery From Quad Injury
Aug 12, 2021, 3:59 PM
Photo courtesy: Real Salt Lake
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake goalkeeper David Ochoa has been sidelined since July 24 with a quad injury and will not return this weekend against Austin due to a setback in his recovery, manager Freddy Juarez revealed.
“No he is not, he is still trying to recover,” Juarez said when asked if Ochoa was back to full fitness. “He had an injury to his leg, the quad, but then another part of his leg started flaring up so just making sure that the leg strength is there to really start doing the soccer stuff and it is not quite there yet like we would like it so we are not rushing it,” he added.
David Ochoa will *likely* not be available for selection this weekend against Austin.
The 20-year-old starting goalkeeper recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a quad injury. #RSL pic.twitter.com/78xMwheGwH
— Tom Hackett (@TomCantHackett) August 12, 2021
Ochoa will not be available for this week’s fixture against Austin, marking the fourth consecutive game that Ochoa will be unavailable.
At first, Juarez announced that the decision to rest Ochoa was more out of precaution. However, the recovery process has aggravated another area of his leg which has slowed his return down.
Juarez gave no indication on how long Ochoa will be sidelined.
Prior to the news that Ochoa had injured himself, he had cemented himself as the starting goalkeeper following impressive displays that included a night against LAFC that he notched eight saves including denying Carlos Vela from the penalty spot.
Since Ochoa has been unavailable due to injury, veteran MLS shot-stopper Zac MacMath has filled the void. MacMath is credited with 11 saves including a 7 save haul against the LA Galaxy last week.
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Last year, Ochoa found himself spending a large majority of the season nursing a thumb injury.
Earlier today, Ochoa announced that he will represent Mexico and not the US on the international stage. The announcement came as no surprise considering the goalkeeping pools of both countries. Ochoa has the potential to represent El Tri much faster than he would if he decided to represent the USMNT.
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