Gambia-hopeful Kandji enjoying a healthy off-season

Gambia-hopeful Macoumba Kandji was breathing heavy as he finished running the stairs at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday morning as the Colorado Rapids are currently in their offseason.

“This altitude is killing me,” he said, smiling, as he walked in to the weight room inside the locker room. Kandji returned to Colorado on Monday after more than a month away. On Tuesday, he joined Brian Mullan, Mike Holody, and Steven Emory for a voluntary work out session at the stadium.

For Kandji, the ability to decide how to spend the winter is a welcome respite after what he’s gone through the past two years. “The last two off-seasons were very rough,” Kandji told the club’s official website.

“Last year, I had my ACL surgery, and the year before I had a sports hernia and adductor release surgery. So this is one of the best off seasons I’ve ever had, because I’m healthy. I can go play soccer with my friends; I can do most of the things that I wasn’t able to do last year and the year before last.”

Kandji miss most of last season while recovering from knee surgery, an injury he sustained in the 2010 final. In his first start of the season, on August 17, he scored two goals to lead the Rapids to a 3-2 victory over Isidro Metapan in a CONCACAF Champions League game. However, he was limited to 123 total minutes in nine regular season games, all but one as a late game substitute.

Following the playoff exit, Kandji went to Nashville, Tennessee to see his parents and sister. He then drove to Atlanta and Charlotte to visit friends, even getting in a few pickup games. And this week, he’s back and happy to see old teammates again, even if for a short amount of time.

“You spend most of the year with them – seeing them every single day,” he said, “so if you haven’t seen them for a little while, it feels good to see the guys again.”As he heads to Miami next week for a short vacation and to work out in warmer weather, he’s already exited to come back in January for the start of preseason.

“This is something that I always wanted,” he said. “To start the beginning of the season 100 percent healthy. And it’s looking like that will happen this year.”