CARSON, Calif. –A right hamstring strain forced Leonardo to make an early exit during the LA Galaxy’s 5-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, but the club’s coaching staff are confident that the Brazilian could be back in time to play a role in their Western Conference Championship clash with Seattle Sounders FC.
Leonardo went down in the 37th minute, forcing third-year defender Tommy Meyer to come on for the remainder of last Sunday's game. Although the injury was severe enough that the Brazilian center back needed to be stretchered off the field, the Galaxy coaching staff believe that the time in between series will allow ample time for Leonardo to return to fitness.
“Two weeks is good for both teams certainly and we would think that both teams are going to be healthy when they meet at StubHub Center,” said Bruce Arena. “He’s working [to get back to full fitness] so we’ll see.”
Added Associate head coach Dave Sarachan, “Two weeks [between games] is a good thing for a guy like him, but we’ll know more as we get through the next few days. I think there is a good chance that he would be back for the series, be it game one or game two.”
