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After breaking Steve Zakuani’s right tibia and fibula during the April 22 match against the Seattle Sounders, Colorado Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan brushed off the tackle as routine, and said he’d probably do it again. But when the 11-year MLS veteran and Regis Jesuit High School graduate was asked this week about those postgame comments, which some took as insensitive, he became emotional, adding, “I didn’t know the extent of the injury until after I left the stadium” (Denver Post). Mullan, who’s on a 10-game suspension, says he’s haunted by the tackle. “It’s going to be hard to get back into it, get back into tackles and stuff,” he explains, saying he’s had to lean on his friends, wife, and other MLS players to get through the mental strain.
Mullan will return to action June 26, when the Rapids head to Columbus, Ohio, to battle the Crew (full schedule at ColoradoRapids.com), but his team could probably use him right now. After starting the season 3-0, the Rapids lost four games in a row before taking down the Dynamo last night in Houston. Fox Sports predicted the match would be tough for the Rapids—noting the Dynamo went into the game riding a 4-1 victory over D.C. United, and showing signs their offense was finding its rhythm—but that was before the Rapids beat them 2-1 (Associated Press).