Juan Agudelo To Have Knee Surgery, Will Miss 3-6 Weeks

Juan Agudelo Will Miss Up To 6 Weeks After Injuring Knee

Red Bulls forward Juan Agudelo scheduled to undergo knee surgery on Monday.

Juan Agudelo To Undergo Knee Surgery, Will Miss 3-6 Weeks

Juan Agudelo will undergo surgery to repair torn meniscus in his knee and will miss at least three weeks. A three to four week timeline for return is what Agudelo said he expected on Sunday, but New York Red Bulls manager Hans Backe said that he could be out for up to six weeks.

The 19-year-old suffered the injury while with the United States' Olympic qualifying team and a MRI on Saturday revealed the extent of the injury. He returned to the New York on Sunday, where he was reevaluated by the Red Bulls' doctors and they made the determination to have him undergo surgery.

With Agudelo out, the U.S. lost to Canada on Saturday night and put themselves in danger of not qualifying for the London Olympics. While Agudelo's absence was hardly the Americans' only problem, it was clear that they missed his presence, which is something that they will have to deal with for the rest of the qualifying tournament.

Not only is the U.S. affected by Agudelo's injury, but the Red Bulls are too. Kenny Cooper stepped into the starting lineup on Sunday to help New York pick up a much-needed win, but he and Thierry Henry are their only two strikers. Luke Rodgers continues to deal with problems securing a visa so now that Agudelo is going to be out for up to a month, the Red Bulls are in huge trouble up top if either Cooper or Henry is injured, tires or loses form.

Juan Agudelo To Miss Rest Of Olympic Qualifiers With Torn Meniscus

The United States will have to qualify for the 2012 Olympics without Juan Agudelo. The New York Red Bulls striker, who scored in the Americans' first qualifying match, has torn the meniscus in his knee and will be out for the remainder of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. Whether Agudelo has to have surgery and the timeline for his return will not be determined until he meets with the Red Bulls' physicians back in New York.

Agudelo shined for the U.S. in their first qualifying match, but then again every American did against an overmatched Cuba team that went down to 10 men early and was then pummeled, 6-0. Now the U.S. will have to handle things without him, which will not be easy because he is their first choice striker. His absence means that Teal Bunbury will likely get a chance to shine, but he is coming off of a lackluster stint with the U.S. in January and a dip in form of late. If head coach Caleb Porter decides against going with Bunbury, Terrence Boyd, who debuted with the senior team in February, will get the nod.

Also of concern is what Agudelo's club team, the Red Bulls, will do without him. Luke Rodgers has yet to receive his visa so the team is down to just two strikers, Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper. Being down to two strikers for a few weeks while Agudelo was with the U.S. is one thing, but if this injury keeps him out a while, it could be a much bigger deal. New York needs Rodgers to get his visa situation sorted and quick.