Injured Wilson eager to return to the playing field

Charleston Battery defender John Wilson is ready to play soccer again.

Now.

Never mind the former Clemson All-American hasn't played in a game or practiced with his teammates since injuring his left foot in the first half of the Battery's U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Houston on July 7.

That's just a minor detail. He just wants to play again, sooner rather than later. This sitting around stuff just isn't working out.

Wilson is confident he could play 15 to 20 minutes if called upon today when Charleston takes on Cleveland, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Blackbaud Stadium. A win over the City Stars would put the Battery back in first place in the USL First Division.

"I'm going stir crazy right now," Wilson said with a chuckle. "I'm not the kind of guy that can sit around doing nothing for a month. I've got to get out and play. This is killing me. My foot feels 100 percent better than it did, and hopefully I can get back on the field as soon as possible."

Wilson, who has missed the Battery's last five games, injured his left foot in the first half against Houston when Dynamo midfielder Danny Cruz came in on a hard challenge.

"I was following through on a pass and (Cruz) came in with his studs up and caught the inside of my foot," Wilson said. "I played on it the rest of the game and I probably shouldn't have because it probably made it worse. I could barely walk after the game, and the next day I couldn't walk at all."

The diagnosis was a bruised foot, forcing Wilson to wear a walking boot for the next 10 days.

"I thought I'd be out for a couple of weeks at the most," Wilson said.

A couple of weeks turned into a month.

"It could have been worse. I could have broken my foot and then I'd be lucky to be back in the lineup for the playoffs," Wilson said. "I guess I have to look at the positives. I've never had an injury like this before. If it was a hamstring I'd understand that it's a slow process, but I thought I'd miss a game or two and then I'd be back out there.

"The schedule has been crazy lately, too. We've had some back-to-back games where I know they could have used me. We've got a very deep team as far as talent, but we don't have a lot of numbers, so I know they could use me."

Wilson has been riding a bike and doing some light jogging. He worked out by himself at Blackbaud Stadium over the weekend while the team was on the West Coast playing Vancouver and Portland.

"I hadn't touched a ball until this weekend," Wilson said. "That's the first time I've knocked the ball around a little bit. It's the first time I've felt healthy enough to do it."

Wilson is hoping to get cleared medically to practice again this week.

"I'm ready to go — I think I could go 15 or 20 minutes (tonight) if they asked me," Wilson said. "Hopefully, I can get back to training this week and be ready to go when we play Vancouver (Aug. 20). That's my goal right now."

Charleston will be playing its third game in five days when it hosts Cleveland. The Battery defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1, in a game played Friday night at Swangard Stadium in Vancouver. On Saturday, the Battery fell, 3-1, to the Portland Timbers.

Cleveland City Stars at Charleston Battery

WHEN: Today, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Blackbaud Stadium
RECORDS: Cleveland 2-13-7 (13 points); Charleston 11-4-8 (41 points)
TICKETS: 971-4625

Reach Andrew Miller at apmiller@postandcourier.com and check out the Charleston Battery's 'Battery Shots' blog at, postandcourier/blogs/battery.