If the Houston Dynamo hope to make a deep run in the postseason, they’ll have to do so without one of their most playoff-hardened players.
On Tuesday, the club announced that A.J. DeLaGarza tore his left ACL and will miss the entire Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The 29-year-old defender sustained the injury early in Houston’s 3-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Sunday and had an MRI on Monday. He’s expected to undergo surgery in the coming days.
In his first year with Houston, DeLaGarza helped the Dynamo qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2013, starting 30 games and recording three assists from his right back position. He had spent the previous eight seasons with the LA Galaxy, playing a key role in their MLS Cup wins in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Head coach Wilmer Cabrera may look to Jalil Anibaba to replace him as the fourth-seeded Dynamo host Sporting Kansas City in the Knockout Round on Thursday (9:30 pm ET | UniMás in the US, TSN4, TVA Sports in Canada).
