By Brian Jennings

With nothing left to do but train away the 2009 season, maybe rehab isn’t such a bad idea for the Colorado Rapids.  While a much publicized shouting match between players and coaches erupted recently requiring some repair work in the locker room, midfielders Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson are well on their way to recovery from torn ACLs which prematurely ended both their seasons.

Down the stretch of the MLS season, Colorado had the unfortunate luck of losing not one but three wide midfielders for the remaining matches in Clark, Peterson, and Jamie Smith.  While Smith did not require as intense treatment and was actually training in the final weeks, Clark and Peterson both endured the first major injuries of their young careers.  The void left was evident down the stretch as the Rapids had to plug in makeshift lineups and badly missed the speed and service from their flanks making their attack one-dimensional at times.

Clark, who tore his left ACL back on August 8, has already begun running and is looking forward to more soccer-specific training as the Holidays approach.  “I started running about a week ago.  I started last Monday with a 10 minute mile, and then today ran 30 minutes.  We started 10 minutes on the treadmill, 20 on the bike, then 15 and 15, but now it’s just all on the treadmill which is nice-I’m finally off that damn bike,” Clark told soccer365.com after a particular session. “Biking is not fun.  I enjoy it, but when it’s a stationary bike it’s not fun.”

“For me, I’d rather run outside-it’s not the same staring at the same brick wall.  It’s a big step for me to get to the running.”  Being a native of Colorado, Clark is taking advantage of the local terrain for training a little less monotonous than the standard gym routine.  “I went hiking on Sunday and I was more winded than any of the games to this point,” Clark admitted.  “(I went) behind Boulder-it was tough.  Especially coming down my legs were trembling a little bit.  It’s definitely more challenging coming downward.  I feel like before I did my knee I would have been able to go up it no problem.  Breathing heavily, it was actually kind of nice getting that worked out.”

The next step will be increased weight lifting to gain the strength back in his legs then into drills with a ball to keep his touch sharp.  “I’m hoping to touch the soccer ball in a month or so but we’ll see what they say.  The lifting is something I’ll do until I’m back, the running is obviously something I’ll do till I’m back.  Every so many days, as far as the time frame goes, that I have another thing to add it just adds on.”

The good news for Clark, who earned his first National Team call-up this past year, is that he’s been operating pain free which determines how far he will push his program.  “It’s based mostly on pain.  There’s going to be pain but it’s tolerable.  It’s fine now, but when I run, the first couple times my heels would hurt because I hadn’t run on them and they weren’t used to the pounding.  My knee is just sore.  It’s not excruciating pain, it’s just sore like a back or ankle.” 

Peterson, on the other hand, tore the ACL in his right leg on September 23 just as he was solidifying his place as a replacement for Clark’s speed on the wing.  Jacob is looking at his teammates’ success as the kind of plan he can expect to be on when the time comes.  “Surgery went well.  It was swollen for a bit, a lot more than Colin did, but everybody reacts differently.  He had to get his meniscus cleaned up where mine was just a straight ACL,” explained Peterson on the similar injuries. 

“I’m still about 6 weeks behind him, so it’s actually kind of nice to have that blueprint.  The target for (running) is mid-December.  I’m walking on the treadmill, both forward and backward, and biking.  Mostly biking for me, intervals, and I haven’t gotten to lifting yet still just doing functional things.”

Peterson admits he doesn’t quite have the range of movement he will need, but knows that will follow soon and allow him to step up his activity level as well.  “I’m not fully extended yet.  As soon as I can get that it will go a little quicker.  My inflection (bending it) is pretty good but my extension is still a little behind.  I don’t need to walk around with a brace anymore which is good, but I was on crutches for a while.  You always wish you were farther, but I’m happy where it’s at.”

As far as a timeline for his return, Peterson has a rough draft in mind, and has been talking to other players to get their take on recovery as well.  “It was nice I talk to Kyle (Beckerman), Herculez (Gomez) who was here, Colin’s had it done, Conor (Casey) has had it done, so I kind of got a whole range of opinions.  (I’ll start) running in December, targeting getting back into training the start of preseason maybe, then at 100% by start of the season-first game-ish.  February is when the team will start doing fitness and I want to start getting into that.  Training 100% probably right around the first game of the season (early March).  So I’m hoping to be at least available on the bench for the first game of the season.”

While that seems a quick road in a perfect world, Peterson knows there may also be points where he has to listen to his body and adjust accordingly.  “You could feel great one day then the next week you have a setback.  It’s just ups and downs.  At first when you’re just starting to walk you get it (sharp pain), but I haven’t had that for a couple of weeks. It always feels like it’s stiff.  Walking down stairs I had a problem with for a while bending and putting the pressure on it that way.  I think I probably overprotected a little bit, but now it feels great.”

One other injury note-a team source said Pablo Mastroeni recently had a small bone-spur that has nagged him off and on cleaned up the past week. The procedure wasn’t urgent, but with Colorado not making the playoffs the time was available.  The Rapids will continue training up until Thanksgiving at which time they will break for the Holidays and join back up in late January-early February for fitness training.