Sport
Gareth Bale’s fitness troubles becoming a serious problem for Wales ahead of World Cup
Los Angeles FC’s players clearly knew the significance of their MLS play-off win over the LA Galaxy. Celebrations continued into the dressing room after the 3-2 victory where the full squad posed for pictures, some of which will enter the history books if LAFC go all the way and win this year’s MLS Cup. Gareth Bale, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Bale was omitted from the matchday squad due to a leg injury. This is far from ideal for the Welsh winger with the 2022 World Cup less than a month away. Bale joined LAFC with the purpose of preparing for the tournament, but he has struggled for game time in the United States. At this point, it would be a surprise if the 33-year-old was fully fit in Qatar. Wales need Bale to be at his best for the World Cup. The former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur star fired them to qualification in the first place, scoring crucial goals in the playoffs against Austria and Ukraine. Bale is Wales’ difference-maker and without him in top form they will be missing a dimension.
LAFC have generally used Bale as an impact sub since he joined the club in the summer, and it’s debatable just how big an impact the 33-year-old has made in his 12 MLS appearances. He started well, scoring his first goal in only his second game, but highlight reel moments have been hard to come by since then. It was only last month that Bale was speaking positively about his fitness status after playing back-to-back matches for Wales against Belgium and Poland. At that point, it appeared his move to MLS to play for LAFC would pay off with Bale playing just enough to stay sharp, but not so much that he is being run into the ground.
“I feel a lot better physically, and sleep wise. I’m ready to start if the manager selects me,” said the Wales captain. “I am closer than I have been [to full fitness] in the last few years, for sure. “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.” Since then, though, Bale has played just five minutes in total for LAFC. A full month has passed and the 33-year-old has barely made it on the pitch. Bale might be sleeping better, but this is hardly an ideal situation for Wales this close to the start of the World Cup. They need their main man getting more game time.
This situation isn’t likely to change before the end of the 2022 MLS season even if Bale regains fitness. LAFC are the favourites to win MLS Cup and are just two wins away from doing so after making the Western Conference final where they will face Austin FC before a potential final clash against the New York City FC or Philadelphia Union. Steve Cherundolo has a winning team and Bale isn’t a meaningful part of it. The LAFC head coach daren’t disrupt the momentum his team have built up over the course of the season and so Bale will likely have to watch the final two matches of the season from the bench or even the stand.
2023 might bring better fortunes for Bale in MLS with the Welshman under contract until next summer. In terms of his World Cup hopes, though, the 33-year-old hasn’t got what he wanted out of his move to the USA. California hasn’t given Bale the preparation he needed before heading to Qatar.
