The Washington Post's Steven Goff is reporting that D.C. United forward Fabian Espindola may miss 2-4 weeks due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the team's 3-0 win over the New England Revolution. Goff goes on to say the team will know more pending results from an MRI tomorrow.
Espindola, who turns 31 next week, immediately signaled for a substitution and began holding his hamstring after the shot below:
Espindola served as an MVP candidate in 2014 until suffering a knee injury from an opening whistle foul suffered at the hands of Felipe Martins in a game against the Montreal Impact. Espindola missed games in 2015 due to suspension and injury, playing only 17 of the team's 34 regular season games.
Espindola's place in the lineup is up for grabs, and it's unclear who it will go to. Luciano Acosta would seem to be the easiest answer, though he may not be a natural fit to play alongside Chris Rolfe. Alvaro Saborio is the team's co-leader in goals with Espindola though his role as a starter in D.C. thus far has been underwhelming. Or perhaps the injury will result in Acosta and Saborio - noted as having developed an understanding - starting as a duo?
Whomever replaces Espindola in the lineup would presumably face the Chicago Fire this Saturday and New York City FC on May 8 at a minimum, so the next steps are worth paying attention to.