MLS
Inter Miami lose Nicolás Freire to injury
The Herons gave an update on the Argentine centre-back, who arrived as a reinforcement from Pumas in January.
A stoppage-time winner from Leo Campana on Sunday enabled Inter Miami to maintain leadership in the MLS Eastern Conference. Campana had been on the field for a minute when he brought down a sweeping Sergio Busquets pass with one touch before rifling in a potent volley which entered off the bar. The Ecuadorian striker, who replaced Matías Rojas, brought up his third goal of the campaign at Chase Stadium.
Unfortunately, despite the victory, not all was good news for Miami. The club confirmed today that Nicolás Freire suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Argentine defender, who arrived at the beginning of the season on loan from Liga MX side Pumas, was substituted off in the 66th minute.
Inter Miami’s Freire, out for the rest of the season
“Nicolás Freire suffered an injury to his right anterior cruciate ligament in the second half of Saturday’s victory against D.C. United. He will undergo surgery at Baptist Health and is expected to miss the remainder of the season,” a club statement read.
Losing Freire is an untimely setback for Tata Martino, who will have to shuffle his squad to find a replacement for one of his most reliable defenders. The 30-year-old centre-back has made a total of 14 appearances with the team - 10 in the MLS, nine of them in the starting XI and and additional four in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
“Since I left my homeland, what I achieved was based on a lot of sacrifice, effort and dedication. Today, I have to face perhaps one of the toughest moments for a footballer. One more battle to face, as I have done my whole life. Thanks to the group, the guys are tremendous for holding on!” was the message that Freire published on his social media page a day ago, before the club confirmed the injury.