This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Real Salt Lake entered the month of June the healthiest its been all season. That lasted all of one day. In RSL's first training session back from its brief break for to the Copa America Centenario, midfielder Sunday Stephen suffered an ankle injury Wednesday.
Unfortunately for RSL, it's the same ankle that kept "Sunny" out for a month when he suffered a sprain in club's 1-0 win against Colorado at home on April 9. RSL coach Jeff Cassar said Sunny was getting X-rays on his ankle Friday to determine the severity of the injury, but didn't offer a timetable for a potential return.
"He's moving around," Cassar said. "It's more precautionary, but he's in pain from taking a knock."
Sunny started in 10 of RSL's first 13 regular-season games. Most recently, he assisted in RSL's 3-2 come-from-behind victory at New York City FC on June 2. RSL is 6-2-2 when Sunny starts in central midfield.
Signed by RSL in January, the 27-year-old Nigerian midfielder has played an essential role in the team's fast start in 2016. Prior to coming to Major League Soccer, Sunny spent time with eight clubs the last 11 seasons, playing in leagues in Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria and Israel.
In the middle of RSL's five-game road trip two weeks ago, Sunny said he was no longer bothered by the ankle sprain that slowed his season. But as RSL preps for a hectic home schedule the next two months, it will need to rely on its center midfield depth with Sunny's short-term status currently unknown and captain Kyle Beckerman with the U.S. men's national team at the Copa America.
-Chris Kamrani
Twitter: @chriskamrani