CARSON, Calif. – Marcelo Sarvas says he's ready to go. Todd Dunivant? Not for awhile.
Sarvas expects to be ready for the LA Galaxy's game Sunday at the Chicago Fire (4 pm ET; MLS Live), but Dunivant could be sidelined another couple of months.
Head coach Bruce Arena on Thursday acknowledged that Dunivant, his veteran left back, underwent surgery “two, three weeks ago” to repair an abdominal tear and likely won't be back until late July.
Dunivant, 33, suffered what the Galaxy in injury reports have called an abdominal strain from their April 6 win over Chivas USA. He reported last month that it was a tear after rehabilitation and an aborted attempt to return to the field in some capacity.
“It didn't heal from not having surgery, and he had to have surgery,” Arena said following the Galaxy's final training session at StubHub Center before departing for Chicago ahead of Sunday's game. “It is more severe, and it will take a little bit more time.”
The Galaxy typically do not report when players have surgery, and Arena rarely provides thorough information on injuries.
Abdominal tears are rare in soccer, but Arena said the injury was similar to a far more common ailment.
“It kind of resembles a sports hernia, although it's not that,” he said. “It's the same thing all these guys have, kind of. His is a little different, but there's these sports hernias all over the place.”
Sarvas, who is returning from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee suffered last month in training, played 60 minutes in LA Galaxy II's 5-0 romp Sunday night over OKC Energy. He said it went “very good, very good.”
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“I'm ready, my knee's good,” said Sarvas, who has missed LA's last five matches. “I'm not injured anymore, so everything's good.”
Arena said Sarvas was “getting there” but was noncommittal if the Brazilian midfielder would feature against the Fire. Whether he plays, Sarvas said, is “about Bruce.”
“He's the one that's able to decide,” he said. “I just want to be with the 18, then it's another thing [to get onto the field].”
