FC Dallas received what figures to be a debilitating blow, as their star midfielder David Ferreira suffered multiple fractures in his ankle from a hard tackle in their comeback 2-1 win over Vancouver Saturday night.
Ferreira, the most-fouled player in MLS last season (84 times) and again through this season's first five games, was injured on a hard tackle by Whitecaps defender Jonny Leathers in FC Dallas' 2-1 road win.
Ferreira is 31, so he doesn't exactly have age on his side. The recovery time is up in the air a bit, with some reports suggesting that Ferreira is not likely to return this season (which runs through October), while Daniel Robertson of Big D Soccer thinking more in the 2-4 month range. In either case, it's a huge blow for Dallas, which was just starting to show signs of life by winning two of their last three. Ferreira was the league MVP last season and led Dallas to their first MLS league final.