Stronger and healthy Artur ready for 2021 Crew season
The pain never subsided. It lingered and became nearly unbearable.
Crew midfielder Artur had been quietly dealing with a mild exposed hernia since he came from Brazilian club Sao Paulo in 2017. He could keep it under control through medication, rest and recovery, but a compacted schedule forced by the pandemic in 2020 made that method next to impossible.
Artur said he might miss the first couple of games of the season, which begins April 8 in CONCACAF Champions League, but once he’s fully fit after having offseason hernia surgery, he should be able to play without limitations.
“It’s been slow, but the important thing is to come back 100% because for the past three years and last year was a little bit annoying not being 100% and with pain and everything,” Artur said. “Now I’m hoping to recover well and don’t have no other problems.”
Watching him, no one would have guessed he was playing through significant discomfort. In a second year under coach Caleb Porter, Artur made a full transition into being the midfield destroyer Porter envisioned.
Playing in 22 of 23 games and playing a full 90 minutes in 18 of 20 starts, Artur led the team and finished third in Major League Soccer with 40 tackles, won 52.7% of his duels and completed 88.3% of his passes. He also showed he was comfortable joining the attack with two goals and four assists in the regular season, before scoring the game-winning goal against New England to send the Crew to MLS Cup.
As the Crew advanced in the playoffs, the pain from the hernia reached a crescendo, nearly causing him to miss the MLS Cup final.
“I told Jonah (Mensah), I told Josh (Williams), I was like, ‘Man, I’m bad. It’s going to be difficult,’” Artur said. “They kept pushing me and everything.”
But sitting out that game, especially with his midfield partner Darlington Nagbe unable to play, was never under consideration. He played 87 minutes, made two tackles and won 62.5% of his duels.
“There was no chance (I wasn’t going to play),” Artur said. “It doesn’t
matter the pain or anything. Like, how big the game was — I played with pain for a long time and that game was not one of the games that I will miss.”
The additions of Nagbe and Lucas Zelarayan before the 2020 season gave the Crew two top midfielders, but Artur’s development made the trio arguably the best in MLS. And it wasn’t just a comfort in his new role. Artur changed his body and added strength that clearly made a difference.
When he joined the Crew, Artur said balancing training, recovery and workouts was a challenge. The physical demands of his position in a game were an added difficulty, but he eventually found a rhythm and the time after the 2019 season to build muscle and gain weight to be more of a force in the midfield. There wasn’t a change in his diet, a conversation with the coaching staff about putting on muscle or any intense workout regimen. He kept it consistent and simple — pushups, pullups, dumbbells and barbells — and saw results that helped his durability and in-game endurance.
“It’s something for me that’s making me feel more comfortable playing, and also it’s something that, for me, I feel better with more muscle and everything,” Artur said. “I think it makes my game easier.”
He estimated he has gained about nine pounds. At 154 pounds, according to the team’s website, he might still be on the skinny side, but photos of him in 2017 compared to this preseason show the transformation of his physique.
Nagbe, it seems, hasn’t noticed, but was impressed by Artur in their first season together.
“He’s bigger now? Wow, I haven’t seen pictures of him in the past, but that’s funny that he’s bigger now because he’s still a skinny guy,” Nagbe said. “But he’s strong, he’s solid. I play with a lot of good players in the midfield and he’s definitely up there as one of not only one of my favorite teammates but just favorite players.”
Artur, who wants the intensity of Inter Milan midfielder Arturo Vidal and the precision of Sergio Busquets in the buildup, said he wants to continue to be a factor in the attack.
“I think he’s an underrated player for us,” Porter said. “What he brings is a hard-running, ball-winning, groundcovering 8 that rips the heart out of the opponent. You need that kind of destroyer.” jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers