TFC’s Osorio deals with ‘neurological dysfunction’ – TSN.ca

TORONTO — Midfielder Jonathan Osorio, who has missed Toronto FC’s last four games, announced Thursday that he has been battling what he calls “neurological dysfunction” dating back about two months.

Osorio, 30, a key figure for both Toronto and Canada, says trouble began when he elbowed Chicago Fire star Xherdan Shaqiri in the head in a July 13 game. This hit to the left side of his head caused his jaw to misalign and led to neurological problems.

“At first it seemed like a concussion. It gave me concussion symptoms,” he said.

The result was that some days he felt good just to work out and then felt bad. To make matters worse, it took a while to diagnose the problem.

“I don’t know how to say that scientifically,” he said. “The best way I can explain it is that I was hit on the left side and now the right side of my brain is compensating for my left. My left (brain) wasn’t working properly.”

Osorio was cleared at halftime of the Chicago game and ended the game. He said he felt no symptoms other than the effects of the hit itself at the time.

“I thought ok, maybe it’s just a bruise on the head. I’ve had that before.”

He made the trip to Montreal three days later, only to be sidelined by what the club described as concussion symptoms.

“It started with a pressure in my head and I was able to play a couple of games,” he said.

Osorio started in TFC’s next seven games, scoring four goals. But in the heat of an Aug. 20 game at Inter Miami, his third game in a week, he said symptoms had worsened, including a headache that was affecting his vision.

“I felt like maybe it was still a concussion,” he said.

However, this was ruled out after several medical consultations. Osorio has since started doing exercises designed to get the brain working again.

“It’s slowly coming back and slowly helping to clear the symptoms,” Osorio said.

“In the end I think we figured it out,” he added. “I feel a lot better now. I can train.”

He now wears a mouthguard that helps his jaw realign.

“I’ve never had this injury,” he said. “So I didn’t know how to deal with it. I didn’t know how serious it was. After Miami, I tried to come back twice. You guys saw me on the field. I tried. And the symptoms came back. Yet worse.”

Osorio has had medical issues in the past. In 2017 he had an irregular heartbeat and in 2019 he suffered from anemia.

This time, he said the injury affected his mental health, with anxiety over what might be causing his distress.

“It was just difficult. It was just hard to figure out what it was. We couldn’t figure it out,” he said. “After a break I feel good and then I come back on the field and as soon as we ramp it up I feel terrible again. It was tough.”

The setback comes at a crucial time for the veteran midfielder as Canada are set to face Qatar and Uruguay in friendlies ahead of November’s World Cup in Europe later this month.

“They are aware of that and they work with me,” he said of the national team.

Osorio says his progress has been day-by-day but he’s hoping to see some action in Orlando on Saturday.

“I think I’m right there…knock on wood, let’s see how I react tonight and tomorrow.” And we’ll see,” he said, tapping his knuckles on the table in front of him.

He also hopes to attend the upcoming Canadian camp in Europe.

Osorio missed Canada’s ill-fated Vancouver camp in June, which was cut short by a pay dispute after picking up an injury in a previous game against Chicago. Coach Bob Bradley described it at the time as “lower body discomfort.

Osorio, who earns $1.026 million this year, is out of contract after this season. He says his focus was on getting healthy and finishing the campaign. “And after that we’ll see what’s there.”

13th-ranked Toronto (9-15-7) is about to ring the bell going into Saturday’s playoff line, six places and seven points below the Eastern Conference playoff line. With just nine points available from TFC’s three remaining games, elimination from the playoffs seems imminent.

Toronto are without a win in their last three games (0-2-1) and have conceded four goals in each of their last two games. TFC had previously lost just one game in seven (4-1-2), a streak that coincided with the arrival of Italy’s Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi.

All three Italians and Osorio were in the training part open to the media on Thursday. Defenseman Chris Mavinga, who missed the weekend’s defeat in Atlanta, trained alone.

“All good,” said Bradley when asked about the Italians’ availability.

Bradley said Mavinga (lower body injury) is making progress but will not attend full practice just yet.

Defenseman Doneil Henry, who played his 100th game in all competitions with TFC over the weekend in Atlanta, left practice early with a hamstring strain.

Insigne was also absent from Atlanta, dealing with an unspecified “personal family situation.” But he returned to training on Wednesday.

Fifth-seeded Orlando (12-12-6) is a point above the East playoff line with four games left.

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This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 15, 2022.