The Montreal Impact announced on Monday that midfielder Justin Mapp will undergo surgery on his left elbow and is expected to be out of action for approximately four months.
Mapp, 30, dislocated and fractured his elbow on Saturday during the second half of Montreal’s 1-0 road loss to D.C. United in its opening game of the MLS regular season. Mapp suffered the dislocation in the 82nd minute when he fell over D.C. United’s Bill Hamid and Chris Korb while running onto a pass from teammate Eric Alexander.
The club said Mapp met with doctors in Montreal on Monday afternoon, and he is scheduled for surgery on Thursday.
The loss of Mapp, one of the Impact’s best players and most influential attackers, is a big blow for the Canadian club—especially as it prepares to face Costa Rican side Alajuelense in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Montreal hosts Alajuelense in the first leg of the semis next Wednesday at Olympic Stadium.
“He’s not only Montreal’s best winger, but I see him as one of the best wingers in MLS,” soccer commentator Lloyd Barker told Sportsnet’s Soccer Central podcast earlier this week.
“When you talk about a guy who gets the ball at his feet at runs at opponents with success, there’s not a lot of guys who do that in this league, and Justin Mapp is one of them.”
Injuries are nothing new to Mapp, as he’s been dogged by a few issues during his MLS career, most recently by a nagging groin problem over the last couple of seasons.
“His loss is massive for (the Impact) because he’s one of the guys who keeps defenders honest. When you make a gameplan against the Montreal Impact, Justin Mapp has to be on your (radar). … He’s that dangerous,” Barker offered.
Some good news for Montreal is that Argentine midfielder Andres Romero is on the mend after dealing with injuries and is close to returning.
Programming alert – March 18: Watch Montreal Impact vs Alajuelense in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal live on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World on Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00 pm ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
