Houston Dynamo defender Mike Chabala will not feature in tonight's clash against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The starting left back did not travel with the team to LA due to a hamstring injury picked up last weekend against the Philadelphia Union.
Prior to leaving the match against Philadelphia, Chabala was the only Dynamo player to feature in every minute of every game. The young defender also did not travel to Houston's midweek game in New York.
Chabala rehabbed his hamstring this week and was hoping to play against the Galaxy, but the training staff felt it was better to take another week off to rest his body.
"Rehab is great and I can play, but my team decided for me to not push it and injure it again. Once again I can't play against LA" Chabala said. "I was striding 90% [in practice] with little to no pain. My body recovers quickly so I will be in full training when the team returns."
The absence of Chabala puts more pressure on the rest of the back line, especially Andrew Hainault, who covered at left back against the New York Red Bulls. Eddie Robinson and Bobby Boswell will likely fill in the middle defense roles, with Richard Mulrooney starting at right back.
The Dynamo are looking to build some sort of consistency ahead of the World Cup break but will face a tough challenge from MLS league leaders Los Angeles Galaxy.
Tonight's television broadcast starts at 7 (CT) on Galavision. The game will also be broadcast in English on 790 AM and in Spanish on 850 AM