Minnesota United defender Thomas de Villardi limped out of practice Thursday leaning on the shoulders of goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth and assistant athletic trainer Stacey Hardin.
On Friday, he watched from the National Sports Center bleachers, crutches propped up beside him with his left foot back in a boot.
The France native said after training Friday he had retorn his Achilles tendon. De Villardi first ruptured his Achilles back in a March 22 training session. He had surgery to repair it March 29 and faced a six-to-nine-month recovery.
That first injury was unfortunate timing, as the second round draft pick had just signed his first professional contract and was in line to play the next game at the New England Revolution with a depleted Loons squad. This time around isn't much better, as de Villardi had just recently started training in full with the team again. Another round of recovery likely won't see him return to the pitch until midseason 2018.
