BEAVERTON, Ore. — Next to the first couple of weeks when he could not walk after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Portland Timbers star midfielder Diego Valeri said game days have been the most difficult days during his rehabilitation.
“The most difficult is the weekend. On the weekend I can’t play. The training has been good. We’re training hard, so you don’t feel a difference there. But at the weekend you can feel the difference,” Valeri said.
Valeri recently started joining his teammates for a portion of practice sessions, though he is not yet cleared to play full tilt. He still spends time on the side doing strengthening drills with Will Johnson. But the end is in sight, which makes Valeri happy.
On Wednesday, he said he is hopeful that he might be ready for a few minutes in a game within a couple of weeks.
Valeri is one of the Timbers’ designated players, a rule that allows MLS teams to sign high-level players whose salaries don’t count against the team’s salary cap.
Valeri tore the ACL in his left knee in the Timbers final match of last season. Watching his teammates take the field without him is difficult, especially attending home games.
“It’s really hard for me to watch the games. I get nervous every single game,” he said.
Despite the disappointing start — one win through six games — Valeri said he is confident the season will be a success.
“It’s a long season. We will find ways to score more, to create more,” Valeri promised.
He used the word patience, something he has become an expert on since his October injury.
“I think we need to find a little bit more patience, more confidence in our style of play,” Valeri said. “We will get points, I think, because most of the games we deserved points.”
