The San Jose Earthquakes suffered a blow Tuesday when they learned that starting central defender Eddie Robinson will need surgery on his ruptured left hamstring tendon and will likely miss the rest of the 2004 season.
Robinson suffered the injury midway through the first half of Saturday's game against the Colorado Rapids in Denver when he stepped awkwardly while trying to chase down Rapids striker Jean-Phillipe Peguero. He was able to crawl off the field behind the San Jose goal line, but had to be carried to the Earthquakes bench by back-up 'keeper Jon Conway and trainer Bruce Morgan.
"This is obviously a difficult injury for Eddie and the team," said Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear. "Eddie is a very important part of our team and we are going to miss him on the field. However, we are looking forward to Eddie making a full recovery from this injury and we hope to see him on the field again soon."
In Robinson's absence, Jeff Agoos is likely to move into central defense alongside Troy Dayak, as he did Saturday after Robinson left the Colorado match. Ramiro Corrales, who filled in at left back when Robinson went down, is just one of a handful of options Kinnear has to cover for Robinson's loss.
The Earthquakes medical staff originally diagnosed Robinson with a ruptured left hamstring tendon, and an MRI on Monday confirmed the injury. Doctors determined Tuesday that the injury would require surgery, which Robinson will undergo Thursday.
