The Bent Musket staff give their thoughts on how the Revs will fare in Gil’s absence.
Carles Gil is dealing with an injury that could keep him out for a few weeks, according to a source who spoke to The Bent Musket. Head coach Bruce Arena downplayed the ailment during an interview with Zolak and Bertrand, saying that he’s hopeful that Gil won’t miss time but if he does then it shouldn’t be long.
So how concerned are we about this injury? Here’s what The Bent Musket staff has to say.
SETH – 3
During our Twitter Spaces discussion on Wednesday, I said I was a 5, but I’ve downgraded it to a 3 after hearing Arena speak on the radio. I do expect Gil to miss some time and it could be as long as three weeks, but Arena sounded pretty optimistic.
That said, small injuries can easily become big ones. Gil dealt with an injury during the MLS is Back tournament last year that seemed minor at first. He would go on to miss most of the season. With this in mind, I’m at least partially concerned that the Revs’ dynamic playmaker is facing some sort of discomfort, even if it is slight.
JAKE – 3
This is a short-term problem that the Revs are far better equipped to solve than last year. Gustavo Bou was put into the #10 spot as a necessity and did what he could with a lot less support than the Revs have now in the squad. Last year’s midfield was a mess with injuries, COVID pandemic pauses, and never really had a chance to build up any chemistry.
This year, Matt Polster is still amazing, Tommy Mac is still as versatile as ever, Kaptoum and Maciel are really consistent, and Iceman, Tajon, Teal, and even Boateng are great to solid starting options out wide. The trick here I think is how to manage everyone’s minutes still and not break up the two striker partnership.
Bou and Buksa have looked pretty good together up top together, having Bou drop back more will just force Buksa to be a little more traditional with his hold up play. That would be my only reservation tactically, I’d be hesitant to break up Bou and Buksa up top but that’s a nitpick. I think the Revs will be fine and still firing on all cylinders with Gil out and when he comes back.
JOSH – 2
On paper, hearing Carles Gil could be out for an extended period terrifies me. Yet, I am not too worried. This isn’t the first time the Revs have been without the midfield maestro. Just last year, Gil underwent surgery in August which kept him out for nearly three months.
Without Gil, the Revs went 5-4-4. Not the best record, but it was good enough to keep the Revs in the picture. I also think the Revs depth has improved compared to 2020. With additions like Maciel, Kaptoum, and Traustason, I think we will be fine without Gil.
MATT – 3.5
If the Gil injury is as minor as Arena will have us believe, I’d say that I’m only about a 3, maybe a 4 tops on the panic scale (let’s call it 3.5). This Revs team has shown that guys are willing to step up when called on and there’s too much talent there for the team to tumble too far down the table. Gil is certainly the centerpiece of the attack and we’re going to see a drop off, but this team is fully bought in and clicking on all cylinders and I think they are going to weather the storm much better than they would have just a year or two ago in the absence of an all-star.
Luckily the strong performance in the first half of the season bought them some breathing room, and hopefully Gil will be back to full strength down the stretch. Even if the Revs are only able to grab 6-8 of the next 15-18 possible points they could still very well be on top of the East or close to it if Gil makes his return in under a month as was first reported.
GREG – 7
Here we go again. I’m getting flashbacks of the 2020 preseason, remembering when Carles Gil dealt with a mysterious foot injury that would be fine once the season began. Even with Gil getting a long period of rest due to the pandemic, he lasted roughly two games before limping off in the MLS is Back tournament and requiring surgery.
Not to say the situations are identical: This is a different injury and Gil hasn’t had any problems throughout the first half of the season. But Gil is the one player the Revolution cannot replace and by far the most important player on the team.
Overall, a timeline of three weeks would imply surgery isn’t required and the nature of the injury isn’t severe. With an eight-point lead in the Eastern Conference and a long time to go before we reach the postseason, the Revolution are still in a good position if Gil needs to sit out most or all of August. But the possibility of this injury lingering or returning in the fall might be catastrophic.
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