Orlando City SC are already battling injury worries just two weeks into their debut MLS season.
The expansion club lost Carlos Rivas to a hamstring problem during the weekend's eventual 1-0 win over Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium which leaves them with two largely untried youngsters in attack.
With English-born Northern Ireland veteran Martin Paterson already sidelined and Honduran youngster Bryan Rochez in doubt, Lions boss Adrian Heath has just Pedro Ribeiro (who forced the winning goal in Houston) and the number one MLS SuperDraft selection Cyle Larin at his disposal for this Saturday's home clash with Vancouver Whitecaps.
"We obviously hope Carlos is not too bad," Heath said. "But, if he is, then it opens the door to one or two others. We've certainly got enough forwards to cope.
"Pedro fully deserved his chance at Houston because he's worked so hard in training over the past few weeks, while Cyle has shown good progress in training.
"He's coming to terms with the fact everything is a bit quicker and stronger, so we're quite pleased with where we are."
He added: "We know not everyone is going to stay healthy but it is still going to be a tough fight to get into the 18 match-day squad, let alone on the field."
