FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Chris Tierney hopes to be available for Saturday night’s meeting with the Chicago Fire after missing the last three games with a left hamstring injury.
The veteran left back has been sidelined since suffering the injury on April 23 against D.C. United, but Tierney resumed full training this week and has his sights set on a return to the field for the New England Revolution’s upcoming three-game homestand.
“I’m starting to feel better. I’ve been working hard to try to get back as quickly as possible,” Tierney said on Wednesday afternoon. “I’m doing everything I can to try to be ready for this weekend.”
Tierney said the nature of his injury allowed him to continue running during his recovery so fitness isn’t an issue for the 30-year-old defender, who’s played the full 90 minutes in 38 of his last 41 starts.
“Fitness-wise, I feel good,” Tierney said. “It’s just getting confidence back and getting my touch and timing back. Hopefully that’ll come in the days of training that we have this week.”
Watching matches from the stands has been particularly difficult for Tierney, who’s started 25-plus games in five of the past six seasons. The Revs have gone 0-1-2 without Tierney, playing to a pair of draws at Gillette Stadium before last weekend’s loss to the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center.
Injuries are a part of the game and Tierney has done everything he can to get healthy as quickly as possible, but he still admits to feeling a sense of responsibility as he’s watched the recent struggles.
“I take a lot of pride in playing, so you have a feeling of leaving your teammates out to dry sometimes when you’re watching the games,” Tierney said. “I feel like I owe these guys something now that I’ve missed a few games, so I really feel the need to make an impact when I get back healthy.”
