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Colorado Rapids skipper Drew Moor: "I've been brought to tears at times"

December 5, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


This week will end with LA Galaxy or New England Revolution claiming the biggest prize in MLS, but it began with a small but not insignifcant victory for the captain of the Colorado Rapids.

Drew Moor has stepped up his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL), sustained at D.C. United on August 17, by being able to jog.

Though recovery is going well, and Moor remains upbeat and eager to return to first-team duties, the process has not been without its difficulties.

"My fiancee Shelby has been unbelievable," said Moor. "If she hadn't been here, the rehab process and the mental side of it would've been even more difficult. I've needed help getting out of bed. I've needed help walking over to the sink. I needed help doing everything."

It was 12 minutes into the Rapids' 24th match of the 2014 regular season, when Moor turned in the penalty area to chase down an attacker.

The move was one he'd made a thousand times during his 10-year MLS career, only this time his right leg caught in the grass and - as he tumbled to the ground - a searing pain shot through his body. In that split-second, the 2014 season had come to a premature end for the 30-year-old defender.

Within 24 hours, Moor had the news confirmed. He had suffered a torn ACL and lateral meniscus in his right knee. The injury happened on a Sunday night in the nation's capital, and by Thursday morning he was under the surgeon's knife.

"The mental battle of an injury like this is much more difficult than the physical battle, which says a lot, because anybody who's been through an ACL repair knows how difficult the battle is," Moor said.

"I've been brought to tears at times, trying to get this thing right physically, but mentally - certainly watching teams at the weekend, especially when the Rapids are playing - it's difficult, because you want to contribute as much as you can. You never know how much longer you have left as a player."

In the four months since, his recovery has been slow, with meticulous care taken by both the player and the medical staff, to ensure a full recovery. Having started jogging, Moor admits he is already thinking of when he might be able to sprint, as he targets a "April or May" return, but acknowledges that he has to listen to the experts.

"The trainers are having to put the leash on me and pull me back, and say "hey, you're just now starting to jog.' It's almost like two steps forward and one step back. The mental battle has been difficult. You just have to stay positive, you have to stay patient, and you have to realize that this is an injury that people come back from, sometimes even stronger."

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