Rowdies’ Ustruck sidelined with broken leg

Posted Jul 2, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jul 2, 2010 at 12:04 PM

The FC Tampa Bay Rowdies received more bad injury news on Friday morning after it was revealed the injury suffered by defender Erik Ustruck at Thursday morning’s practice was a broken left leg, leaving the defender sidelined for at least two months.

Ustruck suffered the injury as his was caught with a late challenge as the team scrimmaged preparing for their match this Sunday against Miami FC at Steinbrenner Field.

“This is a big loss for our team and I am mostly disappointed for Erik because of all of the hard work he has put in,” Rowdies coach Paul Dalglish said in a statement. “But we are fortunate to have a lot of depth on our roster, and I am confident that our players will step up in his absence.”

Ustruck has had bad luck with injuries all season. Acquired after his release from the Houston Dynamo in the spring, he started the opening game at right back for the side, but was then sidelined with a high ankle sprain. Ustruck returned in the Rowdies 3-0 victory against Legends F.C. in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup and had been a fixture in the starting line-up since then.

With Joe Donoho sidelined for Sunday’s game with a hip flexor, the Rowdies will need to reshuffle their line-up to fill the gap. Defensive midfielder Takuya Yamada appears the most likely candidate to fill the role for the time being.