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What To Make of the Wil Trapp Concussion Saga?

The recent developments surrounding Columbus Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp come across as puzzling to say the least.

The issue of concussions and sports has become a hot-button topic recently. Though their impact on players in the NFL have garnered the vast majority of media attention, athletes in other sports are also highly susceptible to them. Soccer in general and MLS in particular is no different.

With that in mind, the recent developments surrounding Columbus Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp come across as puzzling to say the least. During training on March 17th, he apparently suffered a head injury (in addition to injuring his calf), or did he? Leading up to the March 28th game against the New York Red Bulls, and even leading up to Wednesday’s road match in Vancouver, neither concussion nor head injury was listed as a reason for him being questionable.

Even the current injury report at MLSSoccer.com merely lists his calf injury as a reason for being questionable for Saturday afternoon’s game at New England. In the buildup to both Crew SC’s 2-1 loss to the Red Bulls and their 2-2 draw against Whitecaps FC a few nights ago there was pretty much no mention of any concussion.

What To Make of the Wil Trapp Concussion Saga

Trapp was on the Crew SC 18-man roster for Wednesday, started, and played 45 minutes before being subbed out at halftime for Mohammed Saeid. It could’ve been understood that head coach Gregg Berhalter was making a tactically sound change, putting in a midfielder who has proved himself capable in place of a player still feeling the after effects of the calf injury.

The narrative all changed in the immediate aftermath of the Vancouver game. Details began to emerge surrounding the March 17th training ground incident and the symptoms Trapp was experiencing in the weeks following in reports this week from Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.

After these recent revelations, both fans and pundits alike are beginning to ask questions regarding the handling of this situation. Why was Trapp allowed to play on Wednesday at all if he was still experiencing some ill effects from the concussion?

Berhalter has noted that Trapp showed no symptoms leading up to the Vancouver game and was cleared by two doctors specializing in neurologically related issues to play. It was only at halftime that, according to the Jardy report, that he began to feel a bit of “grogginess,” hence the change. There’s the possibility that Trapp will return to Columbus for further evaluation instead of traveling with the team to Boston for Saturday’s game.

It’s a tad ironic, given the drama surrounding Trapp, that a similar head injury-related incident took place during the Crew SC-Whitecaps FC game Wednesday. In the 87th minute, Vancouver defender Kendall Watson and Crew SC forward Kei Kamara were going for a 50-50 ball in the air. Watson jumped for it whereas Kamara stayed on the ground, forcing the Costa Rican international over Kamara’s back. He literally landed straight on his head.

After a few brief consultations with trainers and doctors to determine if he had a concussion, Watson was let back onto the pitch to finish the game. The move garnered a great deal of criticism considering whether or not the concussion protocols of some teams in MLS are sound. This is especially true considering the manner in which Watson was tested after the incident with Kamara.

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One of my first articles for Sports Events Guide surrounded the issue of concussions in the wake of the 2014 World Cup, which had just finished at the time. There were a handful of incidents during that tournament in which evaluation of players after a suspected head injury fell way short of expectations. What has been suggested by many is to have a separate independent doctor unaffiliated with either team contesting a match that can give an unbiased opinion as to whether a player can continue playing or not.

Taylor Twellman has been a champion of the cause of bringing more awareness to head injuries in soccer. Having suffered a major concussion himself that cut short his own playing career, he certainly can relate. It was really heartening to see him immediately get in touch with Trapp via Twitter in the wake of all this.

In conclusion, let’s be clear. I’m not accusing Columbus Crew SC of any wrongdoing by highlighting what has transpired here. There’s always going to be that medium between a player’s desire to help his team win in any way, shape or form with the necessity of said player’s health, both short and long-term. Trapp is a beloved figure in Columbus and what we can only hope for is that all parties involved do what’s best for him on and off the field.

Crew SC-New England News and Notes

Concussion controversy aside, there is still a game to be played Saturday afternoon. Here are some quick tidbits about the match:

– Saturday’s match will mark the 64th all-time regular season meeting between these two charter members of the league.

– Crew SC boasts a 31-21-11 record in the series that includes an above .500 record of 14-13-5 on the road against the Revs.

– The Black and Gold will be looking for revenge after getting bounced out of the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs at the hands of New England, losing the first leg at home 4-2 and dropping a 3-1 decision at Foxborough to go out 7-3 on aggregate.

– The club won two of three against the Revs during the 2014 regular season including a 2-1 victory at Gilette Stadium on July 26th.

– In addition to Trapp, left back Waylon Francis remains questionable due to an ankle sprain.

– For the Revs, Jermaine Jones is questionable to make his first start of the season after undergoing sports hernia surgery in the offseason. Midfielder Daigo Kobayashi is also questionable due to a hamstring strain.

– Through four games, Crew SC leads the league in total shots per game (16.75) and are fourth league-wide in passing accuracy (78%).

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