Portland Timbers' David Ayala out for the 2023 season

Portland Timbers midfielder David Ayala will miss the rest of the 2023 Major League Soccer season due to an ACL tear.

The young Argentina international sustained the knee injury in first half of the Timbers' 2-1 victory at St. Louis City on Saturday night. Since signing for the Timbers in February 2022, Ayala has made 11 starts in 25 appearances.

This is another blow dealt to the Timbers midfield, after Eryk Williamson also suffered an ACL tear in April to sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Overall, injuries have slightly troubled Portland's season with Sebastian Blanco, Felipe Mora and David Bingham all picking up out this season; however, all three players should be back in action later this month.

Despite the injury bug that has taken over the Timbers camp, they are currently in eight place on the Western Conference table with 11 points. The team has won their last three out of four games in all competitions, with notable victories against the Seattle Sounders and the previously mentioned St. Louis City.

Should head coach Giovanni Savarese face any complications, the MLS Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 5 and runs until August 2. It wouldn't be a surprise if Portland made a move during the window to add extra cover to their midfield.

The Timbers hope that the injuries will have subsided in their squad as they look to return to the MLS playoffs after missing out last season.