New York City FC has suffered a huge blow.
Star forward Alonso Martínez suffered a knee injury on Thursday while on international duty with the Costa Rica men’s national team, NYCFC confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
While NYCFC’s release was light on details, multiple reports on Friday evening painted a bleak picture for the club’s top scorer, suggesting he tore his ACL and would be out for the next eight to nine months.
The injury is said to have been sustained during Costa Rica’s World Cup qualifier against Haiti in Curaçao.
New York City FC said in a statement that Alonso was returning to New York “for further evaluation” and that updates would be provided in the coming days.
Martinez posted a heartfelt post to his Instagram Story on Saturday afternoon, thanking fans for the support and promising to return.
“From the bottom of my heart I thank you for all the support and for the encouraging messages that have come to me. I have no words to thank you, may God bless you!” he wrote, translated from Spanish. “Thanks to the doctors of the Federation, thanks to my club [New York City FC]who have been behind me since day 1 of my injury. With God’s help we will come back stronger, I have no doubt about that!”
The loss is a devastating blow to both Costa Rica, which is still trying to secure a spot in next summer’s World Cup, and NYCFC, which is in the middle of a play-off run.
Martinez was NYCFC’s top scorer during the regular season, scoring 17 goals and finding the back of the net twice in his club’s first-round victory over Charlotte FC.
NYCFC already entered its conference semifinal against the Philadelphia Union without Andrés Perea, who underwent surgery to repair a lower leg fracture he suffered in Game 3 against Charlotte.
NYCFC will play Union next Sunday.
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