Andy Polo to miss the rest of the season due to injury

Portland Timbers Andy Polo will miss the rest of the 2021 Major League Soccer season after sustaining an injury against LA Galaxy during week 6. 

The midfielder sits out with a ruptured quadriceps muscle and a torn meniscus in his left leg.  He will undergo surgery on Wednesday, the club announced Tuesday. 

Polo suffered the injury during the match against LA Galaxy after an intense tack by center back Derrick Williams. The Los Angeles defender was immediately expelled from the match with an automatic red card. 

Prior to this injury, Polo made four appearances in Portland’s six 2021 MLS matches. He managed a 92.4 percent passing rate, one of the highest among the league. The Peruvian international joined the club in 2018, and has since then made 75 appearances across all competitions. 

This only adds the Timbers’ current injury crisis. Polo, unfortunately, is not the only player out with a season-ending setback. Last year, defender Ismaila Jome, goalkeeper Jeff Attinella and Designated Players Sebastian Blanco and Jaroslaw Niezgoda all sustained long term injuries that prohibited their involvement. All have yet to debut this season as well, struggling to rehabilitate and be fit. 

Diego Chara, Larrys Mabiala, Cristhian Paredes and Steve Clark remain out as well, missing a substantial part of the season. 

Timbers players are commented on the situation. 

“I think there’s a lot of chatter outside our club,” forward Jeremy Ebobisse said, before describing what he’s heard. “Can we win without X [player]? Can we win without Y? But what we’ve shown — whether it was last year, when Seba [Blanco] went down, or I went down, now with [Diego] Chara and Larrys [Mabiala] and everyone else is down — we’ll find ways to get dubs.

"That’s what happened [today]. That’s what happened in San Jose. Guys are ready to step up, when it’s time.”

Portland currently sits 6th in the Western conference, hoping to progress as the season continues.