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In the 87th minute on Saturday in Austin, Texas, City SC coach Bradley Carnell inserted midfielder Rasmus Alm into the game, putting him for Aziel Jackson. It was, for Alm, the end of a long journey, no matter how short the time was he was on the field.

鈥淚 was so happy,鈥� he said Tuesday. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited, and yeah, it has been probably one of the toughest times in my career so far. It was nice. It was a relief.鈥�

The appearance was the first for Alm in a game since Sept. 2. He missed the final seven regular-season games, two playoff games and then the first five games of 2024. When healthy, Alm has the potential to be an offensive factor for City SC. He scored three goals last season in playing time steeply curtailed by injury. His goals per 90 minutes in 2023 of .25 trailed only the team鈥檚 big three scorers, Samuel Adeniran (.76), Klauss (.68) and Niko Gioacchini (.43) among players with at least 1,000 minutes.

But that was a barrier Alm only barely cleared. He appeared in only 21 games, starting only 13, mostly because of a groin injury he suffered early in the season that didn鈥檛 go away. For a long time, the thought was the injury would be solved with rest, though Alm admitted late in the season that he probably wouldn鈥檛 be able to get enough rest until the season was over and, until then, he would have to play through it. By September, it was clear that wasn鈥檛 going to work.

鈥淚t has just been tough mentally because sometimes I鈥檝e been good,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t has been the same since April last year. It has been some weeks have been good and some weeks bad and some weeks really bad and some weeks really good. So it has been mentally really tough. I have tried to stay positive and try to see the angle to get healthy and be back there. I feel like we鈥檙e on the right track now. So it鈥檚 just to continue this journey.鈥�

Late in the season, the injury was rediagnosed as a sports hernia, and after the season, Alm had surgery.

鈥淚 had that last game against Dallas,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 played 90 minutes and then after that, I just felt like it wasn鈥檛 the same anymore. And then we did an MRI and stuff and then it was first to get surgery, and the surgery has helped. Now it鈥檚 just like a lot of inflammation and stuff, and it takes time to get rid of that and I know that some days will be a little bit worse than others, but as long as I can be out there playing games, I鈥檓 happy.鈥�

Alm said the inflammation causes him pain, but he said they鈥檙e working on treating that. The best pain reliever, it turns out, may be psychological. It may hurt to play, but it also feels so good.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing you can really do about (the pain), so I鈥檓 always just trying to manage that and try to get that to go away,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I mean, I鈥檝e been training now for over a week and played a game, and I feel pretty good. So I鈥檓 happy.鈥�

It鈥檚 clear Alm is still a ways from being able to go even 45 minutes. His style of play, which features him running around at top speed a lot, is such that he played the full 90 minutes only once last season. Much of the time, he was subbed out around the 60-minute mark. Both coach and player know he needs to take it slow.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e out of the woods just yet,鈥� Carnell said. 鈥淲e just have to keep on these limited minutes for him and progressing these minutes. We just thought for the energy of the group (on Saturday), through the energy of the week training, he鈥檚 just brought a spark, something within the group with Rasmus just makes everyone smile, so it鈥檚 good to have him around, it鈥檚 good to have him part of the group. I don鈥檛 want to start getting too excited too soon. Five, six minutes here, 10 minutes there. That鈥檚 how we just have to approach this with Rasmus. It鈥檚 a delicate situation. But I鈥檓 glad he contributes.鈥�

鈥淎t this point, I don鈥檛 want to rush it,鈥� Alm said, 鈥渂ut for me to get five minutes, the last five minutes last game, was such a relief because it has been a really long time and to see the guys work and you just have to stay on the sidelines and watch, it鈥檚 difficult. We just want to be out there and have fun with them. Because it鈥檚 a fun team to play in. Especially at home. We鈥檒l see how it goes. But yeah, I feel like we鈥檙e on the right track. So that鈥檚 nice.

鈥淚鈥檓 just happy to be out there. I mean, if I can help with a little bit of energy, that鈥檚 good, but yeah, it鈥檚 just having fun. I mean, soccer is all about having fun, and to be in this team, it鈥檚 the best.鈥�

Notes

Njabulo Blom (knee) and Josh Yaro (hamstring) both took part in practice on Tuesday after being out a week or more. Chris Durkin didn鈥檛 practice, but Carnell said it was because of the load he has taken over the early season and the numbers said they needed him to take a day off. Durkin has played 348 minutes and among field players trails only the team鈥檚 outside backs, Anthony Markanich (405) and Tomas Totland (360). ... After making the first team of the MLS team of the match day two weeks ago, Celio Pompeu made the bench, or second team, for last week. ... Miguel Perez, out on loan this season, came on as a sub in the 82nd minute for the Birmingham Legion in their season opener in the USL Championship.