John O'Brien injured again

If you watched the Chivas-New York match on Saturday night you might have noticed something, John O'Brien was not on the pitch, nor was he a possible sub. Since Chivas did not list him as injured on their weekly list, a simple question popped to mind, why isn't he playing?

Turns out O'Brien strained his left calf during a scrimmage last week, but the injury did not become noticeable till later.

When Chivas coach Bob Bradley was asked about the injury after Saturday's match he said, "I'm not sure...I mean, it kept him out of training. He came out of one our scrimmages last weekend with a little bit of a calf strain and this week in terms of getting him back it's been slower than we all hoped. We'll see."

This might just be the case of everyone being very cautious or it could be the start of yet another series of injuries. With the World Cup coming on fast, O'Brien will want to play as much as he can, but if there is a hint of an injury, it is best for all if he steps back a bit.

Unless there is something Chivas is not telling us about JOB, I would be shocked if his name was not included on tomorrow's roster. For Arena it is an easy choice. That will give O'Brien a few more weeks to get healthy and in shape. If he does make it, Arena can always name a replacement.

Still, the less time he is on the pitch the more people like myself will wonder if he is ready.