After examinations by two doctors and a third still expected, D.C. United midfielder Branko Boskovic is headed for surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, a procedure that will sideline him for the next 4-6 months.
The reality has been difficult for Boskovic to accept, so much so that he was working the knee during Tuesday’s team training session on the RFK Stadium field.
“We’ve had two doctors look at the MRI and examine him, and a third is being sent the films, should receive them today,” D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said. “Two doctors have basically concurred that he’s got a tear. He feels pretty good. He was actually running, he was testing it with some straight forward running, some shuttle work. He does feel it in areas that he would feel it. He’s getting his head around it now.”
Kasper said the third evaluation was to help Boskovic gain piece of mind – evidence that the communication of the injury from the team to the player hasn’t been the smoothest, at least in part due to things getting lost in translation with the Montenegrin, who isn’t as familiar with the English medical terms.
What’s not confusing is how much of a massive blow the injury is for D.C. United, which does not receive any salary cap relief for the $335,000 that Boskovic takes up out of the team’s $2.7 million total. Boskovic’s roster spot will be available once he goes onto injured reserve.
Could D.C. get him back this season?
“It’s possible,” Kasper said. “But we have to see where he’s at in the two-, three-, four-month marks to make any sort of determination in returning this year. He was starting to play very well.”
Instead, the team will now have to sit down with Boskovic and agree on where and when to get the surgery. Certainly, the team would like it to happen as soon as possible.
“He was getting there,” United head coach Ben Olsen said. “I thought he looked very sharp and fit. He was incorporating into his role in MLS games very well. Whether or not he was going to be a starter, I don’t want to get into that, but mostly I just feel bad for him. He’s got European qualifiers, and that’s a big miss for them, and I really liked the guy. He’s been a very good pro, and it’s very disappointing. I feel terrible for him.”
