Franklin operated

Galaxy defender Sean Franklin was not in camp today. In fact, he was not in the country. Franklin underwent sports hernia surgery in Germany and is expected to return to the U.S. on Thursday.

Franklin was part of the US national team's training camp roster ahead of Saturday's game against Sweden and wouldn't have been in camp regardless, but this setback now places his return to camp further off into the preseason than had been expected.

The timetable for his return has been set - Galaxy coaches expect him to be healthy in time for the start of the regular season.

Still, the effects of this injury could be felt well into April. A natural right back, Franklin may have gotten the chance to move to right back or continue to hone his central defender skills in the preseason. Now, he won't have an opportunity to do either. It's more likely that he'll play central defense now. If Bruce Arena had thought about moving Franklin to the right, it likely would have been something that could have been explored in training camp. What's best for Franklin at this point is to put him where he played the majority of last season.