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More Headlines >By Mark Polishuk / MLSnet.com Staff
TORONTO -- When Toronto FC conclude their morning training sessions, O'Brian White is still going. As other players leave the pitch to do some gym work or to grab a bite in the change room, White can be found at one of the end of the field in a group that includes strength and conditioning coach Paul Winsper, athletic therapist Carmelo Lobue and perhaps one or two other players getting in a bit of extra work themselves or just helping put their rookie teammate through his paces.
Having been nine months since his last competitive soccer game, you can hardly blame White for wanting to take the extra time to make sure that he is in top condition for his professional debut. That day could come as soon as Wednesday, when Toronto FC hosts Argentina Primera Division side River Plate in a friendly at BMO Field, or perhaps in TFC's league game in Columbus on July 25.
No matter when White takes the field, however, the 23-year-old striker said that the lengthy rehabilitation process to heal his torn left anterior cruciate ligament has been a character-building experience.
"I've learned that I can't take anything for granted," White said. "This is my first major injury and I learned a lot. I'm just happy to be back. I'm humble about it, I've put in a lot of work in rehab and I'm looking forward to get out there."
White suffered the injury last October when he was playing for the University of Connecticut against Big East rivals Marquette. He said he took a clean tackle from a defender and felt a small twisting sensation in his leg.
That little twist brought an abrupt end to the final year of White's stellar college career. In 78 games with UConn, White scored 46 goals and helped the Huskies to Big East titles in 2005 and 2007. In that 2007 season, White scored 23 goals in 24 games and was awarded the Hermann Trophy as the top collegiate soccer player in the USA.
With such a sterling resume, White was projected to be a top pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, quite possibly the No. 1 overall selection. His ACL injury, however, led some pundits to believe that White could fall as far at the end of the first round.
Toronto FC had three first-round picks (second, fourth and 13th overall) and, having gotten good reports about White's fitness, took the forward with the fourth pick. Interim head coach Chris Cummins feels the club may have gotten a steal.
"We did our homework, Mo [TFC manager and director of soccer Mo Johnston] did his homework, and we were very happy to get him when we did," Cummins said. "We knew our training staff, Windy [Winsper] and the boys, could get him back in good health and that's just what they've done. ... With a player as talented as O.B. is, we could afford to be patient and wait until he was fit."
Bring drafted by the Reds meant that White could continue his recovery at home. Born in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, White moved to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough when he was 16, and graduated from Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute.
Before he could think of playing in front of his family and friends at BMO Field, however, White had to first go through the rigorous process of getting his left knee back up to par. Winsper said the entire TFC training staff played a role in slowly bringing White through the rehab process.
"With any injury you have to keep him mobile, you have to keep working on the tissue," Winsper said. "We have Carmelo Lobue who worked with that initially, then when Carmelo was happy he passed him into [assistant athletic therapist] Shawn Jeffers until he's sort of structurally sound in terms of the joint and the muscle, then he's passed onto me. When I'm happy with him metabolically and strength-wise and functionally, he goes straight in with the team.
"Underpinning all of that is Marcelo [Casal], we call a masseur but he's much more than a masseur for us. He kind of keeps O.B. loose, keeps the hips loose, the ITB loose and all the muscle groups we're working with in that specific period.
"Ira [team physician Dr. Ira Smith] kind of sits in, makes what we would call the orthopedic assessments, looking at range with Carmelo, then he signs O.B. off when he's ready to move to the next level. He keeps in contact with the guy in Connecticut that did a great job with the original surgery. It's a process all the way through for all of the staff."
White began light jogging in February, and by May had started to do some soccer-specific training with a ball. After an early-June visit to his Connecticut doctor to confirm the progress, White has been practicing with the rest of the team for the past month.
"O'Brian is up to full speed. He's joined in full training with the team," Winsper said. "At this time he's as fit as any of the other players. He joins in the full session every day, and he comes out in the afternoon to do his top-up work that he still needs at this stage. He's doing that under the supervision of Shawn Jeffers. Then he's doing his extra metabolic work with me, so I'm doing the physiological component while Shawn is still keeping him ticking on the strength side of things. He's doing fantastically well."
Given that White was originally slated to be ready by the autumn, if at all in 2009, the fact that he may play before the end of July is an impressive comeback for the striker. But while White may be physically able to play, TFC is in no rush to put their prized prospect on the field before he's absolutely 100 percent.
"Carmelo has said we could push, but why risk it?", Winsper said. "We've ticked all of the right boxes along the way and it's almost been textbook. He's probably a couple of weeks ahead of schedule but that's not a big deal. He'll play when we're all ready and we give him the final OK. It shouldn't be too long."
There is also the issue of finding playing time for White in Toronto's suddenly crowded strike force. With Ali Gerba soon to join Chad Barrett, Pablo Vitti and Danny Dichio, White will have to not just prove his fitness, but also his scoring touch to get onto the field.
"I don't worry about stuff I can't control, and I can't control how other people play," White said. "They're my teammates. I wish them the best and I hope they score too. I'm just looking to come in and play and work my game."
White said that his knee is no longer giving him any physical problems, and he has moved past thinking about the injury while playing.
"I try to block it out and not to worry about it," White said. "If I worry about it then my mind is off the game. ... I feel comfortable running and shooting on it. I have no worries when I'm running or favoring my legs right now. Even after practice, there's no swelling, so it's pretty good.
"[Rehab] has been hard but it's been good. I'm almost back to playing now. I've got to thank Shawn, Carmelo, Windy, Marcelo, all those guys worked with me and I've got to give them a lot of credit."
White will look to add his own contribution to Toronto's already impressive rookie class, as Sam Cronin and Stefan Frei (TFC's other two first-round 2009 SuperDraft picks) have become regulars in the starting XI. Winsper said that if White is as impressive on the pitch as he has been in his rehab process, then the young striker will be a star in the league.
"You find more out about a player when he's injured than you do when he's fit," Winsper said. "The mental toughness, the ability to get up when you're down ... the work is long and hard. He's here in the morning training, he has lunch, he trains in the afternoon. On camps when we're away, he comes and trains with the team and does what he has to do and then trains again in the afternoon. If we're in a hotel, he's in the gym in the hotel.
"So doing two or three sessions a day tells us a lot about O.B., and everything that guy has done, he's done it with a smile from ear to ear. He's a fantastic character. He's going to be a great addition to the squad
TFC adds tickets for match vs. Real Madrid
Samsung Scouting Report - River Plate
Reds can benefit from learning experience
More Headlines >
MLSnet.com Power Rankings: Week 19
Kinnear adds six to MLS All-Star team
MLS Fantasy Tips: Week 19
Harvey bringing stability to Rapids
More Headlines >By Mark Polishuk / MLSnet.com Staff
TORONTO -- When Toronto FC conclude their morning training sessions, O'Brian White is still going. As other players leave the pitch to do some gym work or to grab a bite in the change room, White can be found at one of the end of the field in a group that includes strength and conditioning coach Paul Winsper, athletic therapist Carmelo Lobue and perhaps one or two other players getting in a bit of extra work themselves or just helping put their rookie teammate through his paces.
Having been nine months since his last competitive soccer game, you can hardly blame White for wanting to take the extra time to make sure that he is in top condition for his professional debut. That day could come as soon as Wednesday, when Toronto FC hosts Argentina Primera Division side River Plate in a friendly at BMO Field, or perhaps in TFC's league game in Columbus on July 25.
No matter when White takes the field, however, the 23-year-old striker said that the lengthy rehabilitation process to heal his torn left anterior cruciate ligament has been a character-building experience.
"I've learned that I can't take anything for granted," White said. "This is my first major injury and I learned a lot. I'm just happy to be back. I'm humble about it, I've put in a lot of work in rehab and I'm looking forward to get out there."
White suffered the injury last October when he was playing for the University of Connecticut against Big East rivals Marquette. He said he took a clean tackle from a defender and felt a small twisting sensation in his leg.
That little twist brought an abrupt end to the final year of White's stellar college career. In 78 games with UConn, White scored 46 goals and helped the Huskies to Big East titles in 2005 and 2007. In that 2007 season, White scored 23 goals in 24 games and was awarded the Hermann Trophy as the top collegiate soccer player in the USA.
With such a sterling resume, White was projected to be a top pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, quite possibly the No. 1 overall selection. His ACL injury, however, led some pundits to believe that White could fall as far at the end of the first round.
Toronto FC had three first-round picks (second, fourth and 13th overall) and, having gotten good reports about White's fitness, took the forward with the fourth pick. Interim head coach Chris Cummins feels the club may have gotten a steal.
"We did our homework, Mo [TFC manager and director of soccer Mo Johnston] did his homework, and we were very happy to get him when we did," Cummins said. "We knew our training staff, Windy [Winsper] and the boys, could get him back in good health and that's just what they've done. ... With a player as talented as O.B. is, we could afford to be patient and wait until he was fit."
Bring drafted by the Reds meant that White could continue his recovery at home. Born in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, White moved to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough when he was 16, and graduated from Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute.
Before he could think of playing in front of his family and friends at BMO Field, however, White had to first go through the rigorous process of getting his left knee back up to par. Winsper said the entire TFC training staff played a role in slowly bringing White through the rehab process.
"With any injury you have to keep him mobile, you have to keep working on the tissue," Winsper said. "We have Carmelo Lobue who worked with that initially, then when Carmelo was happy he passed him into [assistant athletic therapist] Shawn Jeffers until he's sort of structurally sound in terms of the joint and the muscle, then he's passed onto me. When I'm happy with him metabolically and strength-wise and functionally, he goes straight in with the team.
"Underpinning all of that is Marcelo [Casal], we call a masseur but he's much more than a masseur for us. He kind of keeps O.B. loose, keeps the hips loose, the ITB loose and all the muscle groups we're working with in that specific period.
"Ira [team physician Dr. Ira Smith] kind of sits in, makes what we would call the orthopedic assessments, looking at range with Carmelo, then he signs O.B. off when he's ready to move to the next level. He keeps in contact with the guy in Connecticut that did a great job with the original surgery. It's a process all the way through for all of the staff."
White began light jogging in February, and by May had started to do some soccer-specific training with a ball. After an early-June visit to his Connecticut doctor to confirm the progress, White has been practicing with the rest of the team for the past month.
"O'Brian is up to full speed. He's joined in full training with the team," Winsper said. "At this time he's as fit as any of the other players. He joins in the full session every day, and he comes out in the afternoon to do his top-up work that he still needs at this stage. He's doing that under the supervision of Shawn Jeffers. Then he's doing his extra metabolic work with me, so I'm doing the physiological component while Shawn is still keeping him ticking on the strength side of things. He's doing fantastically well."
Given that White was originally slated to be ready by the autumn, if at all in 2009, the fact that he may play before the end of July is an impressive comeback for the striker. But while White may be physically able to play, TFC is in no rush to put their prized prospect on the field before he's absolutely 100 percent.
"Carmelo has said we could push, but why risk it?", Winsper said. "We've ticked all of the right boxes along the way and it's almost been textbook. He's probably a couple of weeks ahead of schedule but that's not a big deal. He'll play when we're all ready and we give him the final OK. It shouldn't be too long."
There is also the issue of finding playing time for White in Toronto's suddenly crowded strike force. With Ali Gerba soon to join Chad Barrett, Pablo Vitti and Danny Dichio, White will have to not just prove his fitness, but also his scoring touch to get onto the field.
"I don't worry about stuff I can't control, and I can't control how other people play," White said. "They're my teammates. I wish them the best and I hope they score too. I'm just looking to come in and play and work my game."
White said that his knee is no longer giving him any physical problems, and he has moved past thinking about the injury while playing.
"I try to block it out and not to worry about it," White said. "If I worry about it then my mind is off the game. ... I feel comfortable running and shooting on it. I have no worries when I'm running or favoring my legs right now. Even after practice, there's no swelling, so it's pretty good.
"[Rehab] has been hard but it's been good. I'm almost back to playing now. I've got to thank Shawn, Carmelo, Windy, Marcelo, all those guys worked with me and I've got to give them a lot of credit."
White will look to add his own contribution to Toronto's already impressive rookie class, as Sam Cronin and Stefan Frei (TFC's other two first-round 2009 SuperDraft picks) have become regulars in the starting XI. Winsper said that if White is as impressive on the pitch as he has been in his rehab process, then the young striker will be a star in the league.
"You find more out about a player when he's injured than you do when he's fit," Winsper said. "The mental toughness, the ability to get up when you're down ... the work is long and hard. He's here in the morning training, he has lunch, he trains in the afternoon. On camps when we're away, he comes and trains with the team and does what he has to do and then trains again in the afternoon. If we're in a hotel, he's in the gym in the hotel.
"So doing two or three sessions a day tells us a lot about O.B., and everything that guy has done, he's done it with a smile from ear to ear. He's a fantastic character. He's going to be a great addition to the squad
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