BROWN AIMS FOR AUGUST RETURN Arch Bell - Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Aalesund goalkeeper Adin Brown is optimistic that his recovery from heel surgery will be complete by next month.
Brown underwent the operation in May to repair an achilles injury which had originally been sustained back in a May 2008 match versus Valerenga.
The surgery was suppose to have sidelined the Californian for just two months, but the former William & Mary standout reveals that complications following the operation extended his stay on the injury list.
"I suffered a staph infection about a month after my surgery so that put me in the hospital for a week and prolonged my recovery time by another two weeks," Brown recently told YA.
"I finally started training a month ago and began training with the team yesterday. Right now I'd say I'm 75% healthy and hope to be 100% in two weeks and ready for a return in mid-August."
Brown's time with the Norwegian club has been marred by various injuries including groin and thigh strains which have limited the ex-New England Revolution man to just 69 appearances in five seasons.
Despite the many hurdles ahead upon his return, the former NCAA First Team All-American likes his chances on regaining his starting position in between the pipes.
"Our coach [Kjetil Rekdal] always gives us an opportunity to compete for the starting job which I hope to do. If you are playing well, there is a good chance that you will earn a spot in the lineup," continued Brown.
The veteran is now one of the longer tenured players on the roster having helped the club earn promotion during the 2006 season from 1. Division to the Eliteserien where Aalesund have become a league mainstay.
Despite a letdown following a quick start to the 2009 campaign, Brown still contends that the first half of the season prior to the current two week mid-summer break has been a successful one for the western Norwegian club.
"The team started very well but then we started to struggle," he added. "We had a stretch of four games where we did not get any points before finally picking up some points before the break. We're also still in the Cup so overall, I think we've done a good job and it's been a solid first half of the season."
The 31 year-old is coming up on having played 10 years of professional soccer where his career has spanned MLS stops in Colorado, Tampa Bay and New England before moving to the seaside Scandinavian town.
Knowing that the opportunities to compete at a high level are getting fewer every year, Brown fully understands the grim possibility of leaving the game should his body not withstand the rigors of playing and training every day.
"I'm in the last year of my contract so I'm solely concentrating on getting healthy. However if I'm not healthy, I'll have to retire," conceded Brown.
Aalesund currently sit in ninth place in the league standings with 22 points and resume Eliteserien play this weekend at home against Fredrikstad.
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