Mikael Silvestre Out 6-9 Months with ACL Tear

Portland Timbers defender Mikael Silvestre has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will miss the next 6-9 months. After going down in the 58th minute of last night's game against the New England Revolution, Silvestre had to be stretchered off the pitch.

According to the release, Silvestre has not yet undergone surgery, but will do so in Sports Medicine Oregon.

Silvestre's torn ACL is the latest in a staggering number of knee injuries to Timbers players this season. Starting with Brent Richards, Bright Dike, and Chris Taylor (who has since been waived by the team) in the preseason, and followed more recently by Sal Zizzo's temporary absence and David Horst's season ending injury, the Timbers have now had almost one fifth of their roster lost due to knee injuries.

The Timbers press release:

TIMBERS' SILVESTRE SUSTAINS ACL INJURY

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers today announced that defender Mikael Silvestre sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his left knee in the second half of Thursday's match against the New England Revolution.

Silvestre is expected to be out 6-9 months. Surgery at Sports Medicine Oregon in Tigard, Ore., will be scheduled once the injury has stabilized.

In his first season with the club, Silvestre, 35, started eight of the Timbers first nine matches of the season, logging 688 minutes and helping the backline record three shutouts. He played every minute of the club's recent 312-minute shutout streak - one of the longest in MLS this season.