Brian Carroll to miss 3-6 weeks with torn plantar fascia

Philadelphia Union midfielder Brian Carroll will be out for the next 3-6 weeks due to a torn plantar fascia, the club announced today. Carroll went down clutching his foot in the 44th minute of Saturday’s game, requiring Warren Creavalle to replace him before halftime. Though the extent of the injury was not immediately known, Carroll’s use of crutches during practice yesterday indicated that his return to the field would not be immediate.

"Knowing BC, knowing his body, how recovers, I think he'll be back on the shorter end of it. It's something he's managed for a long time now and dealt with, and it just kinda, for a lack of a better word, popped in the game and he knew right away that that was gonna be it," Head Coach Jim Curtin said earlier today during his weekly press conference. "He's managed it before in his career, but obviously it's disappointing to lose him because he's been playing very well for us."

In the meantime, Warren Creavalle is the most likely to receive Carroll’s minutes. Creavalle has often paired with Carroll, operating a bit farther up the field, but he’s also very capable (and maybe even better) in an extremely defensive midfield role. Unless some misfortune were to befall him, Creavalle will fill in for Carroll until Maurice Edu returns from injury. Though Curtin admitted as much, he also offered up some alternatives.

"Out of emergency, if there is an injury to Warren, Keegan [Rosenberry] crossed my mind because he's played in that spot before. Ken [Tribbett] has done it in college; he can break up a play," Curtin said. "Mo [Edu] is inching closer and closer, so you have a lot of variables going into it."

Curtin added that Tribbett played as a defensive midfielder in practice today just in case Creavalle were to become unavailable. Maurice Edu has also been training with the team in recent weeks, though it's still not known when he'll return to the first team. He could see playing time in the not-to-distant; however, as Curtin wants him to get some minutes with Bethlehem Steel during the final stage of his recovery.