Injuries are always a cruel fate. Just ask Aaron Maund.
After a breakout season in 2015 that saw him start 21 times for Real Salt Lake, the center back had a starting position locked up for RSL in 2016. He would be battle-tested against Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals in preseason. He would stand toe-to-toe with some of the best strikers in Major League Soccer.
Then, in a brief instant in an inconsequential August training drill, it was taken away. Abruptly. Callously.
The resulting fracture in his foot would wipe out the rest of his season, but it hasn’t dampened his drive to continue to strive to be among the best defenders in the league.