Posted on September 12, 2012
PANAMA CITY, Panama — Canada might have lost more than a World Cup qualifier to Panama on Tuesday night. The Canadians might have lost star midfielder Dewayne De Rosario to a knee injury.
De Rosario, last year’s MVP in Major League Soccer, was forced out of the Maple Leafs’ 2-1 Group C defeat to Panama with a knee injury he suffered on a tackle.
He was replaced by Tosaint Ricketts.
Canada coach Stephen Hart told reporters that it might be a medial collateral ligament injury.
“We don’t know,” Hart told Canadian Press. “We have to do an MRI.”
That will happen on Thursday, according to the Washington Post’s Soccer Insider.
United Dave Kasper told the Insider that De Rosario could be sidelined from 10 days to four to five weeks. The Canadian international probably will miss United’s home game against the New England Revolution on Saturday and an away game at the Philadelhia Union on Sept. 21.
Losing De Ro for an extended amount of time for United and Canada would be devastating for both teams. D.C. (12-10, 5, 41 points) is in the midst of a tight race to secure a spot in the Major League Soccer playoffs. United is one point out of a playoff spot in the MLS Eastern Conference.
De Rosario, who recently became the seventh player in league history to reach 100 goals, has scored seven goals and created a dozen others for D.C. this season.
The Canadians need De Rosario’s playmaking and goal-scoring ability in two more CONCACAF semifinal-round qualifiers as it tries to reach next year’s hexagonal round. He is Canada’s all-time international goal-scorer (20).
Canada (2-1-1, seven points) hosts Cuba at BMO Field in Toronto on Oct. 12 and will play at Honduras four days later. It will probably need to win both games to move on.
Photo: Will Dwayne De Rosario will be able help United and Canada with some more MVP-type performances? Andy Mead/YCJ
Categories: Canada, Central America, North America, Panama
Tags:
Loading ...
