Wales captain and talisman Gareth Bale missed Los Angeles FC's most crucial game of the season due to injury last night as concerns grow over his fitness just four weeks out from the World Cup.
Bale, 33, has been used sparingly by the LA outfit since sealing a summer move to MLS, with his game-time notably dropping off in recent months. He has started just two league games for the club and is yet to play a full 90 minutes.
The Welshman has played only five minutes for LAFC since he turned out a 90-minute performance for Wales against Poland in the Nations League earlier this month.
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It was thought LAFC were holding Bale back for their most crucial matches, the play-off ties, with them facing off against Western Conference LA Galaxy overnight on Thursday
However, Bale emerged as a doubt in the hours leading up to the match and, lo and behold, he was omitted from Steve Cherundolo's squad for El Trafico, the LA derby due to a leg injury. LAFC won in dramatic fashion, beating Galaxy 3-2 courtesy of a 93rd-minute goal from Cristian Arango.
It means LAFC progress through to the Western Conference final against either Austin FC or FC Dallas, who play the other semi-final in the early hours of Monday morning.
But will Bale be available for the October 31 clash? Well, head coach Cherundolo painted a slightly more positive picture of Bale's leg injury following the win over LA Galaxy, hinting the forward will likely be available for that Western Conference final.
"No more injury to report," Cherundolo said of Bale. "He should be back in training very soon in the next couple of days. In the next round we should have a full roster."
That will come as some relief, at least, for Wales supporters. Just a month away from the World Cup, Wales' greatest-ever player being an injury concern is hardly ideal preparation.
However he has hardly had the best build-up to the tournament pertaining to game-time. He has played fewer than 32 minutes in all but two of his 12 games for his new club and has not scored a goal or registered an assist for them since August 7.
It has led to some reporters and pundits, both Stateside and on these shores, criticising the player's impact at LAFC. After a 4-1 defeat by Austin, in which Bale started a match for the first time, former West Ham and Arsenal player Stewart Robson said on ESPN: "He (Bale) just didn’t work hard enough. He was way off the pace and couldn’t affect the game at all.
"He looked like he had a real lack of energy, which will be a worry going forward."
Ex-Derby County, Nottingham Forest and England winger Alan Hinton said: "Watching LAFC and Gareth Bale starts for first time since he arrived in LA. He will not want to know until Wales are out of World Cup. Lots of talent but strange at times, just be a player I say."
There were early high points, though, such as his stunning solo goal against Real Salt Lake and his equally-clinical effort against Kansas City back in July. But the moments of quality have been hindered by his perceived lack of fitness.
Heading into the Wales camp for the Nations League fixtures last month, though, Bale insisted he was in rude health. In fact, he said he was the fittest he had been in some time.
"I am closer than I have been [to full fitness] in the last few years, for sure." Bale said.
"It’s about playing minutes and games and I’m starting to do that a lot more often now. The more I play, the fitter I’ll get. Hopefully, I can start to peak and get stronger and stronger as quickly as possible."
That being the case, Wales fans will be waiting with baited breath for that Western Conference final clash in the hope Bale can get far more minutes in his legs than he has been at club level in recent months.
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