NYCFC will be without center-back Thiago Martins for around two months after he suffered a knee injury in their 3-1 loss to Philadelphia Union.
The 28-year-old has undergone a left knee scope procedure and is not expected to return to training for at least the next six to eight weeks.
Martins will begin rehabilitation shortly after the surgery and will be a big miss for Nick Cushing and NYCFC's defense after growing in importance as the season has gone on.
A designated player for NYCFC, Martins has anchored a defense that has conceded just 1.4 goals per match, although their overall form has been pretty miserable during the 2023 Eastern Conference season.
The 2021 MLS Cup Champions began the season with two wins in their first five outings, but they are winless in their last five. Frustrations have started to boil over between players and supporters, with captain James Sands getting into a heated exchange with fans following the 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati at Yankee Stadium.
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Sands, Maxime Chanot, Justin Haak, and Tony Alfaro are the players available to Cushing as he looks to fill the void left by Martins' absence, with NYCFC's campaign continuing with a trip to Sandy, Utah to take on Real Salt Lake.
To add to Cushing's woes, NYCFC teammate Tayvon Gray was recently suspended amid an ongoing MLS investigation into the use of "language that violates MLS policy".
New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir was previously banned for six games after using racist language towards a referee.
This article was originally published on 90min as NYCFC defender Thiago Martins out for two months due to knee surgery .
