Jonathan Osorio to miss CanMNT friendlies due to head injury
By Chris Smith
Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio will miss Canada's upcoming friendlies against Qatar and Uruguay, the federation announced Wednesday.
Osorio has been recovering from a head injury suffered in a collision against the Chicago Fire on July - an injury that has caused 'neurological dysfunction', according to the player.
“I don’t know how to say this in scientific ways. The best way I can explain it is I got hit on the left side and so now the right side of my brain was compensating for my left. My left (brain) wasn’t working properly,” Osorio explained.
“I was able to play a few games and once the right side wasn’t able to compensate for the left anymore – and it comes back after getting fatigued – that’s when I started feeling headaches and other symptoms.
“I didn’t know how serious it was. After the Miami game, I tried to come back twice. I tried, and the symptoms came back even worse. From people I talked to, when you have a concussion and it gets worse, this is not something to play with. And so it was a little bit frustrating and a little bit scary for me. But I feel like we’re on the right track now.”
Osorio was included in John Herdman's initial 27-man roster but joins fellow veteran midfielder Atiba Hutchinson on the sidelines, with the latter recovering from a bone bruise.
It was hoped that Osorio would be fit for this friendly double-header, which serves as one of Canada's last chances to prepare for the 2022 World Cup, in which they've been drawn in Group F alongside Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco.
Osorio will now look to recover fitness ahead that opening game agaisnt Belgium on November 23.