Sporting Kansas City ace Teal Bunbury is set to miss the rest of the MLS season with a knee injury.
The 22-year old forward, who has scored five goals this term, tore ligaments in his knee early in SKC's 1-1 draw with New York Red Bull on the weekend.
Bunbury will undergo surgery on Friday and will miss the remainder of the campaign as well a large chunk of pre-season for the 2013 season.
Head coach Peter Vermes says it is a big blow for the team who are currently two points clear of New York on top of the Eastern Conference table.
"I talked to him today, and he has a very good attitude about everything," Vermes said. "I have faith and trust in our medical team and rehab guys that he'll come back as strong or stronger than before.
"There's never a good time to have an injury like this, but Teal was definitely in form and was a strong reference point for us on the attack and as a first line of defense. He's been playing very good for a while now."
