Gareth Bale was not in the squad as Los Angeles FC beat the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Western Conference play-off semi-finals last night (Thursday) due to a suspected leg injury just four weeks before Wales begin their World Cup campaign in Qatar against the United States.
But the Wales captain and former Tottenham favourite should be back in training very shortly according to his club manager Steve Cherundolo, whose side will now play the Western Conference play-off final on October 30.
Wales' all-time top goalscorer was signed amid great fanfare in July and LAFC supporters had high hopes for the ex-Real Madrid man, who took a reported £27 million annual pay-cut in order to make the move to the MLS.
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His No.11 shirt was the best-seller among fans in the American top flight in 2022 despite Bale only being in the league for half the season.
And while LAFC took the MLS Supporters’ Shield - awarded to the best club of the regular season - Bale scarcely contributed to that success.
The five-time Champions League winner has only featured in 12 matches overall for LAFC, starting only twice and scoring only two goals.
He has on occasion dropped out of the squad altogether due to “load management” and there has been considerable doubt about his ability to get through 90 minutes for his club.
Bale has only gone the distance twice in 2022 - during the World Cup qualification play-off semi-final against Austria in March and recently against Poland in the Natins League
LAFC took a thrilling semi-final by a scoreline of 3-2 courtesy of an injury-time winner from centre-forward Cristian Arango. Denis Bouanga had earlier scored two goals for LAFC, who were pegged back twice by the Galaxy with Samuel Grandsir and Dejan Joveljic netting.
They will now play either Austin FC or Dallas FC in the Western Conference final on October 30. Should LAFC emerge victorious from that encounter, they will play the MLS Cup final on November 5, just 16 days before their first World Cup match.
"No more injury to report," Cherundolo said after the game when questioned about Bale’s fitness. "He should be back in training very soon in the next couple of days. In the next round we should have a full roster."
The 33-year-old has appeared an awkward fit for LAFC since his arrival, even if two goals in his opening four matches hinted at better days to come.
With MVP Carlos Vela employed as the team’s playmaker and with Arango up front, Bale has struggled to make an impact.
Bale’s reasoning for moving to LA was primarily to gain fitness ahead of the World Cup but that hasn’t worked out.
“We’re on a good path to where I want to be,” Bale told a recent press conference on Wales duty. “I want to play 90 minutes as much as I can but I understand I need to build up to that because I haven’t done it an awful lot in the last few years.
“The most important thing for me is to take each week as it comes and hopefully that will be good enough for me to help LAFC and, ultimately, be ready for the World Cup. We have a plan in LA with what we’re doing. We’re not doing too much straight away.
"Every footballer wants to play as much as they can but we’re being clever and building myself up for the last important part of the season. Hopefully, that should put me in great shape for the World Cup.”
Time is running out, however, for Wales’ greatest-ever player to get minutes in his legs before the Qatar showpiece. Rob Page's side begin their World Cup campaign with a Group B game against USA on November 21.
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