Stuck at home recuperating from the torn Achilles tendon that ended his season last week, Mauro Diaz had to miss out on FC Dallas clinching the Supporters' Shield (awarded to MLS' top regular-season team) in Carson, California on Sunday.
So his teammates and coaches brought the party to him.
FCD had already paid moving tributes to their injured playmaker as they celebrated their Shield capture on the StubHub Center pitch, following their 0-0 draw with the LA Galaxy – and the Argentine's house was first stop for the team bus after they returned home later that night.
Neither being hobbled on crutches nor the late hour saved Diaz from a champagne shower, courtesy of countryman Maximiliano Urruti:
It speaks volumes about the unity in the FCD camp that the team's sidelined star was remembered and celebrated in the midst of their second trophy celebration of the season.
“He played such an important role in this run, and for this trophy in particular, so to be able to bring that back and bring it back to Mauro is a big thing,” said defender Walker Zimmerman. “A lot of the Argentines had been talking to him on this trip. We even had Maxi set up a fake dummy in his room of Mauro, with clothes and a hat and scarves and everything, and dressed him up, so it was like, Mauro Diaz is with us on the road.”
Diaz's recovery time is estimated at eight months. With a Western Conference Semifinal first-leg match scheduled for Sunday at the lowest surviving seed in the West's Knockout Round, his team now turns its focus towards the final target in their “treble” mission: MLS Cup.
