Where have you gone, Omar Salgado?

No matter the sport, injuries to key players can wreak havoc to any side's ambitions. The Vancouver Whitecaps know this all to well. However Sunday's match against Chivas USA may feature the returns of Golden Boot candidate Camilo Sanvezzo and team captain and US International Jay DeMerit.

One player who certainly won't be suiting up is the 2011 #1 overall draft pick and CD Guadalajara prospect Omar Salgado. Salgado is currently listed as out on the MLS Injury report with right foot fracture.

Salgado fractured his right foot in a June 2012 in a US U-20 friendly against Uruguay. Salgado recovered only to re-aggravated the injury in a late 2012 Whitecaps reserve team match.

Salgado did participate at US U-20 camp held in Carson this April. However the 19-year-old was rusty and described his health as being far from 100%.

Four months later, Salgado has yet to make a first team appearance for the Whitecaps. Even before his injury though, Salgado played sparingly.

A number of factors play in there: injuries, he was acquired by the pre-Martin Rennie regime and his youth certainly limited his minutes. Also consider the stacked arsenal of scoring talent the Caps possess in Sanvezzo, Kenny Miller, and Darren Mattocks.

All of this only fueled speculation tying Salgado to particular MLS side trying to re-establish it's Mexican roots.

Though his exit from CD Guadalajara may have been acrimonious, getting a young player already familiar with Chivas could potentially be a coup. Salgado is only two years into a cap-friendly Generation adidas contract

From a Chivas point of view, acquiring Salgado made a great deal of sense--at the right cost. Apparently--rumors--the Whitecaps were willing to deal Salgado but only in exchange for Dan Kennedy, straight up.

But knowing what we know now, it may have been the health of Salgado--not an outrageous trade demand--that scuttled any possible deal.