Sporting KC loses key striker to injury

Bunbury to miss remainder of season with torn ACL and damaged LCL

By Scott Hill | 27th August 2012

After leaving the match on Sunday after a collision with Red Bulls ‘keeper Bill Gaudette, Sporting KC announced a day later that striker Teal Bunbury will undergo season-ending surgery on Friday.

The injury occured just four minutes into the match, when Bunbury beat Gaudette to a ball just outside the box, crossing the ball to Kei Kamara for an easy goal and 1-0 Sporting lead. After crossing the ball, Bunbury’s leg collided with the ‘keeper.

Bunbury left the game and it was later revealed that he suffered a torn ACL and a damaged LCL in his left knee. He is expected to miss six to eight months recovering from the injury.

Despite not matching the production of his sophmore season, Bunbury has 5 goals and one assist in 22 matches this season, still the third-highest total on the team.

Sporting KC currteently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference after the draw with New York last night. The injury is a big loss to the club’s forward corps, with only Kamara and C.J. Sapong left as pure strikers on the roster.

Bunbury used social media site Twitter on Monday to publicly thanks his fans for support, tweeting “Thank you all for the get well wishes! It means so much. You guys are the best. Feeling stronger already.”

Sporting will have to find offense elsewhere as they next play a resurgent Toronto FC side on Saturday.