For the past few months, FC Dallas’s social media posts have been documenting the recovery of attacker Alan Velasco from the ACL injury he sustained last year during the playoff series loss to the Seattle Sounders.
As time moved on during the club’s break after the Leagues Cup, the young Argentine finally began training with the first team for the first time since his surgery last year.
Although his season debut might be imminent, the club emphasizes the importance of taking time with Velasco to ensure he returns in the best possible condition.
“We just need to be careful, all of us, because we are very excited for him to come back,” stated interim manager Peter Luccin on Thursday. “But he’s coming back from an important surgery, ACL with some miniscus issues there. So its nine months that he didn’t play. For me, we want to go gradually with him.”
Luccin explained that he and his staff have to take it in a step-by-step approach with Velasco, starting last week with him traveling to D.C. with the team and appearing on the bench for the first time this season.
“It was good because he started to feel like a soccer player again,” stated Luccin. “Being at the hotel, having lunch and dinner with teammates. It’s been great.”
For Luccin, the next potential step could be witnessing Velasco make an appearance on the field for FC Dallas in a regular-season game. Luccin believes this could happen as early as this weekend against the Colorado Rapids.
“I think he’s gonna have a minute. I really think that he’s gonna have a minute, but this is just my opinion two days before the game,” explained Luccin.
Despite the projection of playing one of his Designated Players for the first time this season, Luccin still stressed that the club is looking to protect Velasco as much as possible this season.
“We’ll see with the medical staff how we can see but we want to protect him. It isn’t just about what the game is telling us,” said Luccin. “That is why we have to be on the same page as the medical staff, to make sure that we have the right plan for him but we want him to play.”
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