Simpson’s injury not as bad as feared

Jay Simpson’s home debut last Saturday was going swimmingly … until it ended with a trip to the hospital.

While the good news on the Philadelphia Union striker is that his lung wasn’t punctured as originally feared, his prognosis for this weekend’s trip to Orlando City is understandably pessimistic.

Simpson hadn’t returned to training with the club as of Wednesday afternoon and his status is in doubt for Saturday’s trip south. His condition is officially a rib contusion and a bruised lung suffered in a collision with Toronto FC goalkeeper Clint Irwin’s knee just a moment after Simpson’s brave header bounded goalward for his first MLS goal in the 11th minute of last week’s 2-2 draw.

Simpson lasted 18 more minutes on the pitch, unable to catch his breath and later coughing up blood in the locker room, necessitating the hospital visit.

“He’s a tough kid, obviously,” manager Jim Curtin said Thursday morning on a conference call. “I think he probably had another goal or two in him, so disappointing.”

Simpson didn’t train Wednesday, and Curtin prefers a fully healthy striker to withstand the punishment doled out by MLS defenses. With CJ Sapong also finding the net last week, Curtin has a viable alternative and little reason to rush Simpson.

“It’ll be close for the weekend,” Curtin said. “I think it won’t be a longterm injury, that’s for sure. But it’s a day-by-day situation.”

Charlie Davies has been fighting an ankle injury and may be in the picture for Saturday. He looked sharp in training Wednesday and scored in Sunday’s friendly with the University of Maryland. The return of Ilsinho, who has trained fully this week after missing two games with a hamstring strain, frees Fabian Herbers as a reserve striking option, while Fafa Picault can also play up top.

While Curtin laments the potential absence of Simpson in Orlando, he’s also pleased with the work Sapong has done in a rare reserve role and the competition Simpson, Sapong and Davies have fostered.

“CJ came on and impacted the game right away,” Curtin said. “We want strikers that are pushing each other. We’re a team that knows that we’re going to get passes and service into the box, and to their credit, they both finished their opportunities. Happy with where CJ is. We know what he’s all about. He’ll give everything he has in training every day, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”