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SANDY - They call him their playmaker and his return could be on the rise very soon.
All the fans can remember that daunting day, May 7, when Chiva's USA was in town and Marcos Mondaini came from behind Real Salt Lakes Javier Morales in the 37th minute, taking him to the ground and leaving him with a devastating injury.
Everything is little steps. I have to go slowly and surely every step I make.
–Javier Morales
With his hands clasped over his face, he was wheeled out, on a stretcher of Rio Tinto Stadium by medics.
Now able to walk and put pressure on his ankle, Morales is positive and upbeat about his return.
"I'm feeling better every day and (Monday) I went to see Dr. Cooper and he say's maybe October 1st, but the problem is that I'm feeling so good I feel like I can come back in maybe September," said Morales.
That's very good news for RSL, but it's not definite just yet and it's up to more than Morales.
That is the hard part of the recovery, because when I go to the stadium and see my teammates playing that's the hard part because you can't do anything. You can go to support, but you can't do anything on the field and that's made me feel bad, but that is part of the injury so I have to be smart and try to keep doing the right thing.
–Javier Morales
Morales is remaining optimistic that he will return earlier than October 1, but can't push it. "Dr. Cooper says it is possible, but I have to be patient and do the right thing," said Morales.
And with his ankle feeling so good, Morales says, "every day it is better than I expect, so that is giving me confidence."
The last 13 weeks have been quite the journey for Morales and he says it hasn't been just a time for him to relax and enjoy his time off. He says he's worked harder than if he was able to suit up.
Morales says a standard day for him includes a full day of work for his ankle. "I go to the training earlier than everyone and leave after everyone because I have to do a lot of things with exercise for my ankle and my ability and then I work out. I spend 30-40 minutes on the bike."
And it hasn't gotten any easier for him over the last few months to just sit on the sidelines and watch his teammates play or even practice.
"That is the hard part of the recovery, because when I go to the stadium and see my teammates playing that's the hard part because you can't do anything," said Morales. "You can go to support, but you can't do anything on the field and that's made me feel bad, but that is part of the injury so I have to be smart and try to keep doing the right thing."
And he has remained smart and hasn't rushed his recovery like so many people would want to do to be able to get back to what they love doing. "Everything is little steps. I have to go slowly and surely every step I make."
RSL has plenty of regular season games in September and October that Morales could potentially participate in, but Morales says he knows he won't see much action.
"My fitness is not going to be good, and I think that this season I am not going to start. I'm going to maybe sit on the bench and play 10, 20, 30 minutes," said Morales.
And he's okay with that. He just want to come back.
I'm looking forward to it, every night I dream for that moment for the day that I can come back.
–Javier Morales
Like any other athlete would feel or even for anyone who is unable to do what they absolutely love for such a long period of time, Morales cannot wait.
And what he's most excited about is this, "To step on the field, on the pitch and touch the ball and the most exciting part is to be in the game and I would like to feel like a player again," said Morales. (Right now) I don't have the chance to kick the ball. I'm looking forward to it, every night I dream for that moment for the day that I can come back."
