Charlotte FC's Injury Report: Bender, Bronico, and Cambridge are all missing time

By Andrew Crowell

Dean Smith (Photo courtesy of Cisco's Art)

With the Crown’s third season underway, here is a review of the squad's injuries. As of now, Charlotte will begin the season with three players ruled out. 

Ben Bender

First, fan-favorite Ben Bender will be starting the season on the sidelines as he recovers from knee surgery that he got during the offseason. Manager Dean Smith stated that Bender “certainly won’t be ready the first four to five weeks”. Bender will look to compete for a starting spot in the midfield alongside Brecht Dejaegare, Ashley Westwood, and Charlotte newcomer Júnior Urso when he returns from injury. 

Brandt Bronico

Next is midfielder Brandt Bronico who suffered a thigh strain during preseason. We know he had an MRI but without results, we can only speculate the length of injury for the relentless midfielder. Muscle injuries such as a thigh strain will be given a grade 1-3 based on the severity of injury.

Grade 1 is more mild with no muscle defect and an expected sideline time of two to three weeks. Grade 2 is labeled as moderate and represents small muscle defects and a sideline time of four to six weeks. Finally, grade 3 means significant muscle damage and usually requires surgical repair and over three months of recovery. Based on the current information we estimate Bronico has a grade 1 thigh strain and will be back to action after two to three weeks. 

Brandon Cambridge

The final known injury is youngster Brandon Cambridge. Back in January, Cambridge underwent a successful surgery to repair an ankle fracture. The recovery from this injury will likely be the most complicated and lengthy of the three. First, the bone surfaces that were repaired will take 5-6 weeks to heal. After that, Cambridge will undergo an extensive rehab plan that will keep him sidelined for months.

This rehabilitation program is essential to getting range of motion (ROM), mobility, and strength back in the injured ankle. Rehab is not something to rush through, as reinjury can be very common in those who do not gain critical functionality and mobility back. While it is hard to estimate when Cambridge will return to action, we can certainly guess that it will not be anytime soon. 

Stay tuned to our social media pages and website for updates on these players as well as the entire squad.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. None of my writing should ever be taken as medical advice.