Sporting KC's Teal Bunbury discusses rehab

While Sporting Kansas City striker Teal Bunbury isn't interested in making projections for when he'll return to the field, he told Steve Brisendine of MLSSoccer.com that he has reached the "halfway point" in his rehab from a knee injury suffered in August:

"I'm at that stage now where I'm really starting to work on the strength in my muscles, getting that back, and the stability," he said. "I'm moving around, and I'm feeling really good. In my mind, I'm at the halfway point. Some days are better than others, but my spirits are definitely up."

Bunbury, 22, suffered an ACL tear in his left knee and LCL damage against the New York Red Bulls in late August before having surgery to repair the injury in September. In 22 games during the 2012 season, Bunbury recorded 16 shots on goal and five goals.

He explained to Brisendine his reasoning for staying mum on a potential return date:

"I don't want it to come to a certain point of time where they say, 'This is the day you can be ready,' and once I get to that date, if I'm not ready, I don't want it to mess with me mentally," he added. "I'm going to take my time, but obviously I want to get back as quickly as possible. I'm just going to be cautious about pushing myself too hard."

Bunbury also said that part of his motivation for a quick return is to bolster his chances at being a member of the United States National Team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Sporting KC finished the 2012 regular season with an 18-7-9 record, but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Houston Dynamo despite earning the conference's top seed in the playoffs.