MLS is back, and so is Elis
Dynamo forward, sidelined with preseason hamstring injury, ready to take the field
Dynamo forward Alberth Elis’ speed is no secret. It has challenged teams across Major League Soccer and helped attract the attention of those in Europe.
But after a nagging hamstring injury disrupted his preseason and kept Elis on the sidelines for the Dynamo’s first two 2020 games, the forward is poised to make his season debut when Houston faces Los Angeles FC on Monday in the MLS is Back Tournament at Orlando, Fla.
“I’m excited to get back out on the field,” Elis said through a translator.
Last season for the Dynamo, Elis produced nine goals — two fewer than in 2018 but in five fewer starts — and 10 assists. In his last match of the year, he scored two goals to lead Honduras over Trinidad and Tobago in CONCACAF Nations League.
But that was mid-November. The Dynamo have had to wait eight months to employ him in a game.
“To be fair, Alberth was hurt pretty much throughout the preseason,” Dynamo coach Tab Ramos said. “We got to see him in a couple of training sessions, but I think five to 10 minutes into our game against RGV (in early February) he went out. Then we had the pandemic, then he came back, and then he had a little tweak again. For about the last week and a half, he’s been training really hard, so I’m very anxious to see him get on the field and make some things happen.”
When Elis does take the field, he’ll do so with a handful of new teammates, including forward Darwin Quintero, who could earn his first Dynamo start in the MLS is Back Tournament.
“They’ve integrated and brought a lot to the team,” Elis said of the offseason additions.
Elis doesn’t consider his recent injuries to be a serious impediment as he looks to reclaim his form, although he said they were challenging to work through initially.
Having acclimated to life in Orlando, where MLS players are staying for the duration of the tournament, Elis expressed concern about contracting COVID-19 but said he’s confident in the league’s safety measures.
In the MLS is Back event, he hopes to bolster a Dynamo attack that was shut out in their last game (4-0) against Sporting Kansas City.
“My goal is to contribute to help our offense, whether that be goals or assists,” he said. “Just sending in crosses or being in the box, being that other option. So nothing changes too much in terms of what to expect from my play, because I’ll still be out on the wing looking for opportunities.” Ramos hopes for the same, although he intends to be patient because of the Honduran’s hiatus — which has been twice as long as the league’s four-month enforced break.
In a competition whose teams have in some cases seen their rosters limited by the coronavirus — FC Dallas and Nashville even had to pull out because of a rash of positive tests — Ramos hopes his offensive stars can be difference makers.
“Everyone around the league knows about his speed,” Ramos said of Elis. “The good thing about Alberth is that at any given second he can make a play that could win the game. That’s always valuable, but probably more in a tournament where not only is your game not going to be 100 percent, but you’re playing against other teams that aren’t 100 percent.”