Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Matias Laba has undergone surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, the Major League Soccer club announced Friday.
The injury occurred in the first half of Vancouver's 1-0 road loss to the New England Revolution on Aug. 12.
The hard-nosed Laba crumpled to the turf twice in quick succession in the first half in Foxborough, Mass., signalling to the bench the second time he needed assistance before being subbed off.
The Whitecaps said in a press release the procedure was performed Thursday, with the player expected to be out until the spring of 2018.
"Football kicks you in the teeth when you least expect it," head coach Carl Robinson said a couple of days after the injury. "It usually kicks people — good people — in the teeth.
"When he stays down there's usually a reason."
A defensive midfielder tasked with protecting Vancouver's backline and breaking up opposing attacks, Laba started 19 games in MLS and four more in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2017.
The 25-year-old Argentine, who joined the club from Toronto FC in 2014, ranks fourth all-time for the Whitecaps with 113 regular-season appearances in MLS.
While his loss is a big blow to Vancouver, the club signed midfielder Aly Ghazal, an Egyptian international with similar traits, after he parted ways with his club in China a few days before Laba went down.
The Whitecaps also have Andrew Jacobson, Russell Teibert and Aaron Maund available to try and fill Laba's void.
Currently occupying the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, Vancouver (10-9-5) visits Orlando City SC (8-10-7) on Saturday.
The Canadian Press
