Having to sit on the sidelines watching your teammates compete week in and week out is one of the most difficult things for any professional soccer player to do. Just ask Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp, who missed nearly three months and 13 MLS regular season-matches after being listed as questionable with concussion symptoms.
“Anytime you are out for the length of time that I was, you do a little bit of soul-searching and you try to find the silver linings in the dark clouds of an injury,” Trapp said following his comeback in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match at Orlando City SC.
Trapp entered the match for Tony Tchani in the 72nd minute, exactly 83 days since his last appearance for the Black & Gold against Vancoucer Whitecaps FC on April 8.
It was a special moment for the 22-year-old, who admitted to feeling butterflies before stepping onto the pitch.
“It’s been a while since you have been in the rhythm of the game day, you don’t really know what to expect, and you just hope that everything pans out healthwise,” he said.
“I am just ecstatic to be out there, get on the ball, make some passes and just feel like you are grounded in a real game again,” Trapp added. “It was a great first step and I am looking forward to the next one.”
After taking that first step against Orlando City SC, Trapp said he expects to come back stronger mentally, physically and even tactically.
“When you get to watch from afar, you see things that aren’t going so well and things that are going well for the team,” he said. “And when you come back you get to work on those things.”
Trapp hopes to get back to work on Saturday when Crew SC faces the New York Red Bulls
“It’s a huge step tonight, getting some minutes and some real game play under my belt,” he said. “And I am looking forward to that game on Saturday.”
