SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Republic FC announced on Friday club captain Rodrigo Lopez had suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Tuesday’s victory against the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The midfielder is scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery next week. He will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

The procedure will be performed by Dr. Richard Marder, and Lopez’s continued treatment and recovery will be overseen by Team Physician Dr. Eric Giza and the staff at the UC Davis Health Sports Medicine program.

Analysis

For a second time this week, Sacramento has lost one of its key players to injury. While there is the potential for Russell Cicerone to return this season – a timeline on his recovery from an ankle procedure remains to be confirmed – the loss of Rodrigo Lopez for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL is a tremendous disappointment and offers a challenge for the rest of the squad to meet.

Lopez has recorded two goals and one assist in the Championship this season but his all-around game has looked as good as ever during Republic FC’s undefeated start to the campaign. There is enough quality in Sacramento’s squad to mitigate for his absence – Nick Ross has come to the fore impressively this season after being in and out of the lineup last year – but there’s still something special Lopez brings that Sacramento is going to have to collectively find to stay on track in the league and Open Cup.