This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's a dangerous time to be a Real Salt Lake center back.
First Chris Schuler goes down with a foot injury, then his replacement, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, suffers a season-ending ACL tear.
His backup, meanwhile, is set to miss at least a week while recovering from gall bladder surgery over the weekend.
"It seems a little bit unlucky to be a center back on our team at the moment," RSL coach Jason Kreis said after training Tuesday.
But the team could be getting some good news at the position. Schuler, who hasn't played since May, could return to action within a month, the team says.
"The bone is intact and that means Chris has begun weight-bearing and he's begun the process of reintegrating with the team," general manager Garth Lagerwey said.
Schuler missed more than four months last season because of a stress fracture in his foot. Team doctors believe they caught the beginnings of a similar injury early enough this year to avoid the need for surgery.
Schuler is now training out of the pool, running and starting dynamic movement exercises. Lagerwey said he could be suited up in a month's time.
Twitter: @aaronfalk