How Will Sands faces ACL recovery through new era of Columbus Crew
Will Sands was still adapting into the player Wilfried Nancy wanted him to be for the Crew.
Sands, then a 22-year-old with 12 games of MLS experience after being signed out of Georgetown in January 2022, was Nancy’s first pick to play wingback, a position that emphasizes versatility and playing a key role in covering defensively while also regularly combining with attacking midfielders to push the pace offensively.
And Sands was ready for the challenge.
“Yeah, there is a pressure,” Sands said. “But, I think, in this job, you kind of live for the pressure.”
Playing wingback is not the challenge Sands currently faces as the 2023 regular season ends.
After suffering an ACL tear against Charlotte FC on April 22, Sands is working to see the field again, spending most of the Crew’s training sessions one-on-one with trainer Chris Rumsey, trying to return to form and regain the confidence he had that allowed him to “live for the pressure.”
'It's a long timeline'
Sands doesn’t remember much about the hit that ended his season.
It was a play he said he was used to doing − putting his body between the attacker and the ball and using contact to secure a foul or a goal kick. Instead, Charlotte winger Kamil Jozwiak knocked Sands to the ground before he grabbed his left leg.
Rumsey remembers having to calm Sands down, slowly getting him to understand why he needed to leave the match.
“They want to just keep playing and they don’t want you to pull them out of a game situation,” Rumsey said. “He’s no different than any of the others. It’s a lot of trying to explain to him and in the easiest way possible because in the middle of a game, their adrenaline is high and they’re not thinking kind of full picture. They’re focused on the game and what’s going on there.”
For Nancy, this is who Sands is as a player.
When Nancy was hired as the Crew’s coach, he said his first goal with Sands was to help him relax. Nancy saw him as a player who “likes to compete all the time” and who put a lot of pressure on himself but was making a lot of progress before he had his injury.
At the time, Nancy admitted, he wasn’t sure how Sands would respond.
“When he was good, he got this injury,” Nancy said. “And to be honest with you, I was not so confident, because he was doing well and suddenly something like this happened.”
Sands underwent an X-ray to confirm that something was wrong and returned to the sideline on crutches for the Crew’s 1-0 loss. As he took the field, Sands said he slowly realized the severity of his injury even before an MRI confirmed the ACL tear two days later.
Rumsey knew the severity as he tended to Sands on the field, immediately recognizing the path that lay ahead once Sands had surgery days later to repair the injury.
“These players love to be on the field. They love to be playing,” Rumsey said. “And they want that process to go quickly. And you can’t speed it up. You have a certain timeline … and it’s a long timeline. You’re looking at 9-to-12 months. He has to know that going in.
“But as you get better and you start feeling better, that starts to be a mental grind. It starts to be really tough on you because you’re feeling pretty good. And you want to just keep going. You just want to play soccer.”
How Will Sands approached recovery
The mental and emotional toll changed with each step of Sands' physical recovery.
Sands first started by gathering information, speaking to Aidan Morris, who tore an ACL at the start of the 2021 season, to see how the Crew midfielder managed himself and remained mentally strong through the recovery process.
Even after his return to physical activity after six weeks on crutches, Sands said he faced multiple mental hurdles which continue six months into his recovery such as an initial hesitance to change direction.
“Weirdly enough, I did a lot of research when I first (tore my ACL),” Sands said. “The more you think about it and the more you’re nervous about it, the more likely you’re likely to do it again. It’s one of those things where it was a big thing for me, and it’s something that I think about a lot, but once you step on the field, you kind of have to tune it out a little bit.”
Leading the recovery process, Rumsey is focused solely on progress.
Rumsey quickly learned Sands' nuances. He figured out what Sands needed for his recovery and what that return-to-play process looks like. From there, both Sands and Rumsey began to build a relationship, connecting and opening up as the rehab continued.
Sands admitted it’s been hard to manage being away from his teammates as the Crew worked to secure their first playoff spot since winning the MLS Cup in 2020.
“Even now, I’m training on my own on the side, and I would love to be back in the team,” Sands said. “It’s the ability to kind of understand that it’s not my time now and just stay on the right path and do everything you can every day.”
Teammate Sean Zawadzki sees Sands’ progress. He seems to know Sands better than anyone, having played with him at Georgetown. He remembers Sands as someone who will “run his body into the ground for the team.”
In Sands, Zawadzki sees a consistent mentality − a player who attacks each day, knowing that what he gets done in one rehab session will help in the days to come. Zawadski sees a mentality he doesn’t think he could emulate.
“I don’t think I would be at this same stage if I was him,” Zawadzki said.
Will Sands sees the Crew's future potential
Sands feels he’s very close to a return-to-form. He said he’s hit his top speed and can change direction like he used to. He’s back to hitting the ball with the same power he had before the injury, while continuing to increase his fitness and stamina.
But for Sands, that nine-month timeline doesn’t change. He’s set to return to contact in February 2024.
“It’s very frustrating,” Sands said. “But I think that’s the point where … I defer to people that have been doing this longer than I have. Especially with the training staff, they’ve been brilliant. If they tell me I’m not ready to do something, I might push a little bit, but in the end, I know that their word is right. And I kind of have to just trust them.”
Rumsey said there may be some work to do even after the February date. He said the Crew plan to ease Sands into training in January, building up his fitness to allow him to regain confidence.
“A lot of times for these guys, you want to say, ‘Oh, you’re back and playing,’ ” Rumsey said. “But at nine months, just because you’re back and playing, they don’t necessarily feel like they’re 100% back quite yet, And it just takes some time. And, unfortunately, that’s things that you can’t necessarily fix or change. You just try to do your best to put them in as many situations as you can to make him as comfortable and confident as you can be.”
Sands said he’s allowed himself to zoom out and see what the Crew are building for his return in 2024 and beyond.
“It’s very impressive what we’ve been able to do with one year of a change of tactics,” Sands said. “And as time goes on, those tactics get more and more implemented, I think this team could be scary.”
It’s the mindset Nancy appreciates most, one that understands the game in a different way and can see the reasons behind the details and nuances he preaches on a day-to-day basis
“The fact that he can see the game from afar,” Nancy said, “he’s able to understand the why.”
Sands is not changing his mindset ahead of his return in 2024. He’s just refining it.
“I thought this way a little bit before the injury, but especially now, I’m someone who believes that very difficult times will lead to more positive outcomes,” Sands said. “It’s a very difficult time, but I do think I’m mentally, emotionally stronger than I was going into it.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Will Sands faces ACL recovery through Columbus Crew new era
