Kandji On Road to Recovery

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Babucarr Camara

18 July 2011

Macoumba Kandji took another positive step towards full recovery on Wednesday as the forward makes another breakthrough playing 30 minutes of an afternoon scrimmage for the Colorado Rapid of Sanna Nyassi against invited college players. It was his first competitive action since tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligamate (ACL) in the MLS Cup final last November, which required offseason surgery and now eight months of rehabilitation.

The Senegalese born, Gambian raised forward was set to make his international debut for the Gambia national team but was plagued by the injury; thus his return to full fitness will come as a boost to the whole nation in their bid to make a first ever African cup of nations appearance in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year.

“It went very well,” Kandji told the club’s official website. “Just to run out, and have everything feel good, and there was no reaction today. So it was good.” Most of the players who played more minutes in the scrimmage had a regeneration session, but Kandji was back outside working with the rest of group.”I played only 30 minutes and I felt very good this morning,” Kandji said on Thursday. “So (coach) asked me how I was feeling and I said good, so I came out here to do extra stuff.”

For Kandji, the extra work was what he needed if he’s to reach his goal to be an available option for head coach Gary Smith by the end of this week.”I feel good right now, just working on my fitness,” he said. “(Talking to the trainers), we’re working on the game against New England (Revolution of Gambia’s Sainey Nyassi and Abdoulie Kenny Mansally), probably…Not hopefully, because if I put the work in, it will happen.”

The scrimmage was split into three 30-minute periods and included many roster players that have not seen significant first-team time of late as well as college players that have been training under the tutelage of Rapids reserve team coach Brett Jacobs this summer. “I was really pleased for him,” Jacobs said of Kandji’s play. “He showed a real spark and a lot of energy and he looks like he really hasn’t missed a day. For him to get those minutes is vital for his recovery, to get him back match fit, and to try to get him as sharp as we can.”

In the second year of the college program, the Rapids have invited 30 college soccer players – majority of them from Colorado but that play in out-of-state schools – to evaluate potential future players as well as provide the collegians a professional environment to train under while they are out of school. Also taking part in the scrimmage were Matt Polster, who plays for Rapids partner Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club, and Rapids Academy players Ricardo Perez and Dillon Serna, who was part of the U.S. U-17 team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

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