D.C. United goalkeeper Nick Rimando underwent a medial meniscectomy on his right knee Tuesday afternoon, the club announced Tuesday. Dr. Chris Annuniziata performed the surgery at Arlington (VA) Hospital. Following the successful operation, Rimando is expected to miss two-to-three weeks.
"This was an opportune time for Nick to undergo this procedure," said United technical director Dave Kasper. "He could have played on through the pain as he had been in recent weeks. However, we want Nick to be at full strength the remainder of the season and this break in the schedule allows us to accomplish this without losing him for a significant amount of time."
Rimando underwent a similar procedure on his left knee as a part of ACL reconstruction that ended his 2003 season. The UCLA product injured his knee in United's 2-0 win over the MetroStars at Giants Stadium on Sept. 25 and fell just 50 minutes short of breaking Peter Vermes' record for consecutive minutes played as a result. In his third season with the Black-and-Red, Rimando recovered well from the knee injury and began the 2004 MLS campaign as United's starting goalkeeper, earning a shutout against Kansas City in United's 1-0 victory earlier this season.
Rimando is the only goalkeeper under six-feet tall to have made an appearance for the U.S. national team since 1990, and he has yet to give up a goal in full international play. The California native played for various youth national teams and represented the United States at the U-20 World Cup in 1999 and at the U-17 World Cup in 1995.
