MLS injury report: Mueller out for the season, Vaisanen sidelined for two months
The 2023 Major League Soccer season is almost halfway through. While several teams have impressed by surging up the Western and Eastern Conference tables, others have fallen extremely short.
Rosters have suffered their fair share of injuries, impacting the squad as a whole. Here's the latest injury round up...
1. Chris Mueller to miss the rest of the season
Chicago Fire winger Chris Muller is expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to a hip injury. Mueller had an arthroscopic surgical procedure performed on his right hip that should see him ready to go before the 2024 season.
Mueller has been one of Chicago's best attacking threats since joining from Scottish Premier League club Hibernian FC last year. In 34 games, he has amassed six goals and sevent assists for the Fire. Mueller was drafted by Orlando City in 2018, scoring 21 goals and notching 24 assists in 112 games.
The Eastern Conference team will lean on other attackers such as Georgios Koutsias, Brian Gutierrez and Xherdan Shaqiri in their bid to return to the postseason for the first time since 2017.
2. Leo Vaisanen to miss two months
A right LCL tear will see Austin FC defender Leo Vaisanen sidelined for at least two months. The knee injury was sustained in Austin's U.S. Open Cup loss to Chicago Fire. The 25-year-old has made 12 starts this season after joining from Swedish club IF Elfsborg this winter.
While Vaisanen is out, the Verde and Black get anothe defender back from injury with Julio Cascante returning from an adductor strain. The injury problems in the Austin FC defense forced midfielder Alex Ring to slot in as a defender.
Austin FC will look to rely on Cascante, Ring and Aleksandar Radovanovic, who is currently on loan at Belgian club KV Kortrijk until June 30. Kortrijk have an option to make Radovanovic's move permanent.
3. Other important injuries
- FC Cincinatti forward Brenner da Silva, who is joining Serie A side Udinese after July 1, remains out with an ankle injury and is expected to be back in action by mid-June.
- Inter Miami's Rodolfo Pizzaro is out with a hamstring injury and is expected to return in mid-June. Pizzaro has played eight games this season for Miami.
- Cristian Roldan is currently in the league's concussion protocol but was back at training earlier this week with the Seattle Sounders.