This season, even when it seems like there are positive developments with injured New York City FC players, something goes awry.
The trip to Ontario to face Toronto FC marked the return of Thiago Martins after a month-long absence from the New York City defense, but the veteran center-back had to come out in the 75th minute of the 1-1 draw while laboring and in obvious discomfort while leaving the pitch.
New York City did have Keaton Parks available in the midfield to start in Toronto, even as Parks required a surgical procedure on his hand following the New England game, forcing him to wear an elaborate wrap and bandage while playing at BMO Field.
Parks, like Thiago, had to be substituted off early in Toronto because, according to Pascal Jansen, he "felt something in his groin." Parks made way in the 77th minute, just two minutes after Thiago limped off, compounding the injury pain for New York City FC.
"We didn't expect anybody else to be subbed off that quick, but Keats [Parks] felt something in his groin and couldn't continue. So that's why we had to make another quick substitution," is how Pascal Jansen summed up yet another sequence of bad injury luck for his team. No word yet on the severity of either situation for Thiago or Parks, but these are worrying signs for players already dogged by injuries in recent weeks.
Thiago was out for a month after picking up a hamstring injury during the season's first 1-1 draw with Toronto on July 31. Parks had to be scratched during warm-ups ahead of NYCFC's US Open Cup quarterfinal in Columbus against the Crew in May after getting injured, and didn't return to game action until Leagues Cup and the August 13 loss to Club Necaxa. Parks played in all five games since that Necaxa match, starting four of them, but now might have a new or recurring injury issue to navigate coming out of this more-negative-than-positive trip to Toronto.
Andrew Leigh
Not much goes right while a club goes six matches in all competitions without a win, as New York City FC just did, while they're also now winless across their last five MLS matches played. The team's injury luck has stayed remarkably bad during this stretch, though NYCFC's injury luck has been remarkably bad all season long.
