CARSON, Calif. – There appeared to be an extra spring in the step of the LA Galaxy’s Jose Villarreal in training Tuesday. His smile looked a bit wider, too.
And for good reason. The talented midfielder finally received clearance from the team’s medical staff to resume full training, and the 21-year-old understandably was anxious to get back in the mix.
The Inglewood native has played in five games this season, including four starts, and has one goal and two assists. But he’s missed the last five games with a pulled left hamstring and admittedly had a hard time dealing with the continued inactivity.
“It’s frustrating,” he said of watching the last few games, “knowing that you could have probably made a play or having a deeper squad with you. But it’s a long season and we’re looking to get back on track.”
Villarreal, originally signed as a Homegrown Player in December of 2011, got the word on Monday that he could train without any restrictions. He told his wife, Evelin, about the good news and he said she replied simply, “OK, go get ‘em.”
“That was it,” he said when asked how he celebrated the good news.
“Nothing big. She tried to stay away from me when I wasn’t training, then when I wasn’t playing and watching the games. She would do something and say I was frustrated because I wasn’t there.
“Other than that I’m pretty cool.”
Villarreal scored his lone goal in a season-opening 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire on March 6. It was during training the week after the Galaxy’s 1-0 loss to D.C. United on March 28 when Villarreal originally suffered the hamstring injury. He played just seven minutes in a 1-0 victory over Seattle on April 12 and has missed the last five games.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pounder said he felt completely fit a few days ago, but head coach Bruce Arena is taking a cautious route with his young midfielder.
“We’ll get through the rest of the week, then we’ll see,” Arena answered when asked about Villarreal’s availability for Sunday’s game against expansion franchise Orlando City in Orlando, Fla. at the Citrus Bowl (2 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). Arena then acknowledged Villarreal has been missed to some extent.
“Certainly he was among our best players to start the season,” Arena said. “Then we lost him. I think the last time he played was in the D.C. (United) game. He’s been gone for quite a while.
“It’s all part of it. You have to deal with these things and we’ve dealt with it.”
Villarreal said he can’t wait to return.
“It’s great to be back,” he said. “I’m ready to play. I’m just happy to be back with the guys and get this team going in the right direction.
