Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar undergoes successful knee surgery
By Chris Smith
Orlando City have confirmed back-up goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar has undergone successful surgery to repair a left knee meniscus tear.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Stajduhar has been with Orlando since 2013, signing a homegrown contract in 2015 - just the fourth player in club history to do so.
Since then, the 23-year-old has made just six senior appearances for the Lions - all this season - keeping one clean sheet, with most of his time on the pitch coming during a 2019 loan spell at FC Tulsa.
Stajdhuhar has most recently played second-fiddle to Peru international Pedro Gallese, who is currently away on international duty. Even so, Stajduhar was ruled out of Orlando's 3-2 win over Columbus Crew on Saturday with an initially undisclosed injury, with Adam Grinwis lining up between the sticks instead.
On Sunday, Orlando confirmed Stajduhar had undergone surgery, performed by the club's chief medical officer and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Craig Mintzer.
“Mason’s surgery went as planned with no further damage to his knee identified at the time of surgery,” Dr. Mintzer said following the procedure (via a club statement). “We expect a full recovery and return to play under the careful guidance of the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute medical staff and Orlando City training staff.”
A timeline for Stajduhar's recovery has not been disclosed, but Orlando City executive vice president Luiz Muzzi expressed his faith in the goalkeeper returning from this setback a stronger player.
“Mason has worked incredibly hard to reach this point in his career but if there’s one thing that we know about him, he will come back from this even stronger,” he said. “Until that point, we’re happy to be here to support him, provide him with the best environment to rehab and recover, and then work him back into the team when he’s ready.”
Orlando's win over the Crew extends their unbeaten run to seven MLS games and leaves them second in the Eastern Conference, 14 points behind the New England Revolution with two games in hand.
The Lions face rivals Atlanta United on Friday.