FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Edgar Castillo didn’t think much of the collision that forced him off the field in the 88th minute of the New England Revolution’s 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls on August 17.
I probably just got the wind knocked out of me, he thought.
But when Castillo had difficulty breathing later that evening and into the following morning, he was sent to the hospital for an X-ray, and the results provided something of a shock.
Two broken ribs and a punctured lung.
The severity of the injury forced Castillo to miss the final eight games of the regular season, but now – almost two months since that collision at Red Bull Arena – the veteran defender is back in full training and maintains an outside shot at being ready for Saturday’s playoff opener at Atlanta United FC.