And when he wasn't stuck reminiscing, the Real Salt Lake striker prayed.
"I would say to God, 'Please, I want to play,' " Plata said. " 'I want to play so bad.' "
The errant misstep in the very first training session of 2015 preseason that fractured his fifth metatarsal delayed the next step in the timeline for the dynamic, shifty goal-scorer.
Plata seems to be picking up where he left off two seasons ago. Now 24 and one of three Designated Players at RSL, Plata has scored three goals in the last two matches, recapturing the form that eluded him a year ago.