Justin Mapp trained with his teammates on Wednesday morning, but he’s still some way from returning to play.
Mapp was injured in the first game of Montreal’s MLS season, on March 7 at DC United. Through on goal, Mapp failed to beat United goalkeeper Bill Hamid but landed awkwardly in the process, dislocating and fracturing his left elbow. The initial diagnosis was for Mapp to miss four months of action.
Three-and-a-half months later, Mapp was glad to swap fitness drills for team drills. But there is no more timeline for his return.
“I think it'll still be several weeks before I can even be available for something,” Mapp told reporters. “Maybe longer. I’m not sure exactly. They kind of gave me the green light for this, and I’m taking it one day at a time.”
The elbow has healed, but the rehab isn’t over. In addition to team training, Mapp keeps on working on fitness, range and motion.
But Mapp is indeed feeling more and more comfortable. He may not be allowed to touch the ball with his arm on the field, but he does need it.
“I think it’s more than people realize,” Mapp said. “There’s always tugging, grabbing, shoulder-to-shoulder, a lot of little falls where you’re bracing yourself. More goes into it. You really need your arm strong, more than people think when they think of soccer. I’ve kind of realized that. Hopefully I’m not too far away.”
And when that struggle is done, another starts: the struggle for a starting spot. Three other players have earned starts at Mapp’s preferred right midfield spot this season. Of these three, two – Dominic Oduro and Dilly Duka –are back from injury this week, head coach Frank Klopas confirmed.
Mapp, though, does adopt a positive attitude; when he faces competition, it’ll mean that, at long last, he’s able to compete.
“We have a deep midfield,” Mapp said. “A lot of quality guys out wide; [Andres] Romero, Dilly, everyone's played a key role this year. They’ve been dangerous. I’ll take it one day at a time, try to get myself to the best I can. But there's competition, not just for me, but other players coming back healthy – it’s going to be competitive.”
