Mexico midfielder Luis Chávez tore his right anterior cruciate ligament while training ahead of the Gold Cup quarterfinal match against Saudi Arabia and will now depart camp to receive medical treatment.
The player left Wednesday’s session early after suffering an injury, before further scanning confirmed a ruptured ACL.
“The Mexican national team informs that Luis Chavez left training yesterday due to a right knee injury. Today, the player underwent an MRI, which confirmed a torn right anterior cruciate ligament. We wish Chavez a speedy and successful recovery,” said the Mexican Football Federation in a press release.
Chavez played an active role in the Gold Cup group stage for Mexico, starting against Costa Rica and coming on as a second-half substitute versus Suriname. Head coach Javier Aguirre will now depend on Marcel Ruiz, Erik Lira and Carlos Rodríguez to build a partnership with key midfielder Edson Álvarez moving forward.
Mexico did not give any timeline for Chavez’s recovery. He currently plays for Russian Premier League club Dinamo Moscow, but will be sidelined for a significant amount of time given the average rehabilitation period of six to nine months for an ACL injury, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Mexico qualified to the knockout stage of the Gold Cup after emerging from Group A in first place with seven points.
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