Orlando City star Alexandre Pato suffered a lower body injury in Saturday’s home opener against Atlanta United, a club official confirmed.
However, the forward will not undergo surgery as he begins recovery. The club couldn’t provide a timetable for his return when asked Monday.
Pato made his debut in Orlando on Saturday, starting the match against the team’s long-time rival and coming close to scoring a pair of second-half goals.
An otherwise promising introduction was cut short when he landed awkwardly during a play in the 80th minute. Pato’s knee appeared to buckle under him, and he crashed to the ground immediately in obvious pain.
The forward walked himself off the pitch following the injury and he remained on the sideline rather than being taken to the locker room for immediate evaluation.
After Saturday’s match, coach Oscar Pareja said the team was hoping for a quick return for the Brazilian star.
“It’s early to think of any other option right now,” Pareja said. “We’re waiting and may God just help us with Pato that he’s not hurt. … It’s probably one of the things that hurts the most from the coach’s standpoint is just to see any player get hurt.”
Injuries are a familar foe for Pato, who was expected to become the next great Brazilian soccer icon after winning the FIFA Club World Cup and landing a transfer to AC Milan by the age of 18. But despite his potential and scoring prowess, Pato never lived up to expectations due to a series of injuries.
Lions fans have also been plagued by injury-ridden stars, such as Kaká and Dom Dwyer, who delivered on the pitch in full health but struggled to play full seasons in Orlando.
Orlando City will now turn to other scoring options as it prepares for the next match in Kansas City. With Daryl Dike remaining on loan to Barnsley, the Lions have only two available strikers — Matheus Aiás and Tesho Akindele.
The team typically finds the bulk of its scoring in the winger unit from players like Chris Mueller, Nani and Benji Michel. Newcomer Silvester van der Water will also contribute to this group.
The Lions will travel Friday to play Sporting Kansas City for their first road match of the year. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET with a national broadcast on FS1.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Julia Poe at jpoe@orlandosentinel.com.
