CARSON, Calif. – Chivas USA manager José Luis Sánchez Solá will be without a key piece of his three-man backline for at least a month.
Defender Wálter Vílchez, who is in his first MLS season, is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, a club spokesman said Wednesday. An MRI exam also revealed a sprained left ankle.
Sánchez Solá declined interview requests as he hurried off the practice field on Wednesday.
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Vílchez recorded an assist on Juan Agudelo's game-tying goal in the 68th minute of last week's 3-1 victory against FC Dallas. He played the entire match but needed crutches and the assistance of team trainers to walk off the pitch.
Mario de Luna and Joaquín Velázquez started alongside Vilchez in the two games. In his absence one of Bobby Burling, Steve Purdy or Carlos Borja seems most likely to fill in. Sánchez Solá has maintained he'll employ a three-man backline this year.
Vílchez, 31, had made 64 appearances with the Peruvian national team and played for Sánchez Solá at Mexican side Puebla. The coach called the Peruvian defender an "integral part" of his plans during preseason camp.
