"You feel good one day and think, 'Oh, I'll be back on the field in a week or so,'" Woolard said. "And then the next day, you have a headache again. So it's frustrating because you never know the time frame."
Mike Chabala was just 8 years old when soccer first took him abroad, sending him on a two-year European odyssey that accelerated his growth, as a player and person.
For the past two weeks, Andy Najar has represented Honduras on one of the most glamorous stages the sporting world has to offer, wearing the blue and white of Los Catrachos while introducing his dynamic play to observers around the globe.
Chris Pontius doesn't take anything for granted. It's an ideology he has embraced through the all-too-familiar hardship afforded by months of rest, rehabilitation and missed opportunities.
For all the uncertainty the D.C. United back line has gone through in recent weeks, with a plethora of moving parts dictated by injury, fatigue and form, there has been a constant for the team to rely on: Brandon McDonald.
When D.C. United kicked off at the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, the visitors were riding high, owners of a seven-game unbeaten stretch and the team's first winning streak in nearly three years.
For nearly three years, D.C. United's inability to win back-to-back matches has been a fitting symbol for the club's maddening inconsistency, as well as a sore subject for players, coaches and fans alike.
Daniel Woolard isn't exactly the most attention-grabbing individual.
It looked like D.C. United were going to escape with a scoreless tie against Sporting Kansas City in the club's season-opener at RFK Stadium on Saturday night before 16,314 fans.
