2. Darlington Nagbe
Darlington Nagbe made his triumphant return to team training this week and early reports are that Nagbe will make the trip out West and might even see some playing time. Nagbe picked up an adductor injury back in June in his first match against his former team, the Portland Timbers. That match was June 24th and Nagbe has missed all playing time since then.
Fortunately for the Five Stripes, the front office signed defensive midfielder Eric Remedi shortly after so Nagbe’s presence was not terribly missed. Nagbe’s return to the pitch, therefore, will provide some interesting problems for Martino and how he wants to line up his players. At this point, Remedi is playing well so his spot in the line up is solidified. This leaves Jeff Larentowicz to be replaced. Since these are Nagbe’s first matches back, he will certainly not start but will probably make the game-day eighteen.
Chances are Nagbe will sub on against either Colorado or San Jose or even both. Since the trip is out West and there are two matches in four days, Martino can use Nagbe to replace tired legs on the field. Larentowicz is a prime target since he is the oldest player on the team. At the very least, Nagbe can provide depth for a team ready to make its run for a trophy.