Carolina RailHawks captain Mark Schulte's season ended last week when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, but his team already might have found viable replacements.
As defender Greg Shields said, it hasn't mattered who has put on the team's orange-and-white jersey lately. The RailHawks (10-8-8) signed three players in the last two weeks as the injuries began piling up.
Four of Carolina's starters in Saturday's 0-0 home draw with the Portland Timbers had played in two or fewer games. Three of them were on the back line with Shields.
"These last two games have been a makeshift defense," Shields said. "Guys come in and grab their chance really well."
Daniel Woolard and Devon McKenney combined with Kupono Low to shut out the fifth-best team in the USSF D2 Pro League. Carolina is fourth in the league.
Schulte was leading the team in minutes played for the second straight year before suffering the injury. Shields will replace him as team captain.
The RailHawks have a pair of road dates this week, traveling to NSC Minnesota (8-12-7) on Wednesday and then to Crystal Palace Baltimore (6-15-6) on Saturday. A win over either team likely would clinch a playoff spot for Carolina.
