Photo by Jose M. Romero

By JOSE M. ROMERO

The Portland Timbers are now down two potential scoring threats, with the announcement from the club that rookie Darlington Nagbe, the second overall pick in January's MLS SuperDraft, will have surgery to repair a sports hernia. Nagbe is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, which could jeopardize his chances of playing in the Timbers' inaugural game March 19 at Colorado.

Nagbe, 20, will be evaluated by doctors in Santa Monica, Calif., on Thursday with surgery scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Nagbe had shown signs of being a key contributor from his wing position on the pitch, and he scored a goal in Portland's preseason opener against California's Ventura County Fusion.

The Timbers also lost forward Bright Dike to a ruptured Achilles earlier in the preseason, and he will likely miss the entire MLS season. Portland could go with the recently acquired Sal Zizzo or Ryan Pore to fill in at Nagbe's position.

Portland added midfielder Jack Jewsbury in a trade with Sporting KC earlier on Tuesday, which gives the team more midfield depth in Nagbe's absence, but Jewsbury plays more of a defensive role.

Nagbe is a Generation adidas player who led Akron to the NCAA championship with seven goals and 13 assists as a junior last year. He won the 2010 MAC Hermann Trophy, the award for NCAA Division I soccer's top player. 

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