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In a season where signs of positivity have been woefully thin on the ground, the play of Matias Laba has been a reason to keep watching games. His quality has been apparent for most of his time here and the stats back it up. So when Laba tweeted this:
Fracturado el dedo gordo, un mes out pic.twitter.com/7raAmSIKgo
— Matias Laba (@matiaslaba) August 21, 2013
Broken big toe, out one month.
— Matias Laba (@matiaslaba) August 21, 2013
..earlier this afternoon, well you can imagine the sinking feeling in the pit of many a supporter stomach. With Toronto FC releasing the details that he sustained the injury during the game on Saturday you have to wonder why it took so long for the team to let the public know? Perhaps it was hoped it was a knock from which he could easily recover, or that it was a sprain and not a break, or they maybe just needed swelling to go down before they could find out for sure. Regardless, it means that TFC's midfield (and the team as a whole) will be without its best player for the next 4-6 weeks:
http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/08/matias-laba-suffers-fracture
So what does this mean for TFC over the next month or longer? Laba's play in the midfield has been a big factor in solidifying that part of Toronto's play as well as making those around him better. So who steps in to fill the void? It would seem obvious that Jeremy Hall will get his starting spot back - but who to put out there with him? Does Jonathan Osorio continue in the other central midfield role? Is this Kyle Bekker's time to prove the SuperDraft hoopla was warranted? Or does Darel "Yellow Card" Russell finally get sprung from the bench?
Either way, this news couldn't come at a worse time for the team. Not only are they hoping to rebound from a horrific game against Columbus, but they're going up against DC United this weekend - a game that is always laden with underlying drama - and one that has long been circled on the calendar by many fans as a must win. Not to mention the five games in three weeks that are upcoming on the schedule - no, this will not be easy. Grab onto something, anything to keep you afloat Reds fans - it's going to be a long several weeks.