VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps will be without captain Pedro Morales for a while.
Head coach Carl Robinson said following Tuesday’s training session that the Chilean midfielder was awaiting the results of an MRI scan on his left hip/groin area after limping off injured in the first half of Saturday’s 0-0 home draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
"It will be weeks," Robinson said when asked about a timeline for Morales’ return. "How many weeks? I don’t know."
Morales — who leads Major League Soccer with four goals, all from the penalty spot — slammed a water bottle in frustration as he was subbed off in the 19th minute against L.A.
The 30-year-old playmaker known for his pinpoint passing is in his third season with Vancouver. He had a banner debut 2014, but was cut down by leg injuries in 2015 and started just two regular-season games after the beginning of June.
Robinson said before this season he would try and manage Morales’ minutes better in hopes of keeping him healthy. The coach added on Tuesday that if Morales was fully fit he would have stayed behind in Vancouver anyways for this weekend’s road game at D.C. United because of the long flight.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Whitecaps on the injury front. Speedy winger Kekuta Manneh, who also had to be subbed off before the half against L.A. with an ankle problem that has been bothering him since the end of last season, was at practice following two days of treatment.
Meanwhile, Robinson said the club was in the process of determining whether or not to appeal the straight red card shown to midfielder Matias Laba for a tackle on Galaxy counterpart Mike Magee that left the Whitecaps fuming.
"I’ve watched (the replay), probably too many times," said Robinson. "I said at the time that I didn’t believe it was a sending off. Not much has changed."
