Top Stories

MLS Ticker: Silvestre out for six to nine months; Kennedy signs contract extention; and more

MikaelSilvestre-NewEngland1 (PortlandTimbers)

By DAN KARELL

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Mikael Silvestre’s debut season in Major League Soccer is all but over.

The Timbers announced that Silvestre had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, ruling him out for the next six to nine months. The 35-year-old defender suffered the injury in the second-half of Thursday’s scoreless draw with New England, leaving on a stretcher in the 58th minute.

The former France international had started in all eight matches he played in this season, playing 688 minutes and helping the team earn three clean sheets. The news of his injury was preceded by the signing of defender Pa Modou Kah to the Timbers.

Here are some more stories from around the league:

KENNEDY SIGNS WITH CHIVAS USA THROUGH 2016

Like many players before him, the allure of playing in front of family and friends near your childhood home was too much to pass up.

On Thursday, Chivas USA announced at a press conference that they had signed goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to a contract extension through the 2016 season. The club drafted the Fullerton, CA native in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft in 2005, eventually signing him in 2008. The 30-year-old won the starting spot between the posts in 2010 and has been one of the top goalies in the league since then.

“I’m extremely excited about the news,” Kennedy told the team’s website. “It sends a statement of where this club is going, and they are willing to stick by my side. And I will definitely be sticking by theirs. There are a lot of reasons why I want to be here. This is the club that gave me my first opportunity in MLS, so I definitely have a lot of passion for this club.”

Chivas USA manager Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, or Chelis, named Kennedy the club’s captain before the start of the season, and he’s gone on to start every match this season, leading the team to a 3-3-2 record.

YOUNG DP LABA CLEARED TO MAKE MLS DEBUT

After weeks of rumors, Matias Laba was finally signed by Toronto FC on April 25, joining the club on a young designated player contract from Argentine side Argentinos Juniors.

On Thursday, the manager Ryan Nelsen announced that after a week with the team, Laba had finally been cleared to play and could make his debut this Saturday against the Colorado Rapids.

“He is a big player,” Nelsen said after training to TorontoFC.ca. “Even though he is a young man he has captained his teams previously. We need a few more of those kinds of guys.”

The 21-year-old has been described as a box-to-box central midfielder and is a former Argentina U-20 international, featuring with the team at the 2011 U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

“He wanted to play [Wednesday night in Montreal] and we had to literally pull his hair back to tell him that he couldn’t play,” Nelsen said. “I’d say that come Saturday he will be frothing at the mouth.”

FERRARI RETURNS TO IMPACT LINEUP

Already leading the Eastern Conference with three games in hand over the second place New York Red Bulls, the Montreal Impact now can throw another injured started back into the lineup.

Defender Matteo Ferrari is back training without pain and has made the trip to San Jose ahead of the match between the Earthquake and Impact on Saturday. The 33-year-old has not featured for the Canadian club since picking up a calf injury on April 14, forcing the Italian to sit out the two Canadian Championship matches played as well as the 2-0 victory over Chicago in MLS action.

“He’s going to play Saturday,” Impact manager Marco Schällibaum told ImpactMontreal.com. “I like him a lot; he has experience, he brings some calmness to the team and he’s a force to be reckoned with at the back.”

Prior to the injury, Ferrari had started and played the full 90 in all five of the Impact’s matches.

———-

What do you make of these reports? What do you think of the Silvestre injury? Happy to see Kennedy resign with Chivas USA? Excited to see Laba play on Saturday?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. If you watch the replay of Silvestre, it’s hard to believe it has much to do with the turf. The same with Horst. Both were doing some pretty acrobatic things for CBs. Silvestre in particular landed on his plant foot and twisted.

    Also, THIS SUCKS.

    Reply
  2. Boy, the Sounders choice to take Traore over Silvestre is looking like gold right now. Here’s hoping Djimi’s knees hold up….

    Reply
  3. Lose 2 D men to major knee injuries in the last 2 weeks alone ——-> PORTLAND TURF PORTLAND TURF PORTLAND TURF

    Reply

Leave a Comment