FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England striker Rajko Lekic will likely miss the next month after spraining his left ankle in last Friday's 3-0 loss in Portland.
Lekic sustained the injury as he jumped between Revolution teammate Milton Caraglio and Portland defender Eric Brunner to contest a cross in the 42nd minute of that match. Lekic leaped to meet Monsef Zerka's service from the right wing, but Brunner ultimately won the ball and Lekic landed awkwardly as he returned to the ground.
Medical personnel from both clubs attended to Lekic for a couple of minutes before he hobbled off the field. Zack Schilawski came on as a substitute for the remainder of the match as Lekic received treatment for his injury.
Postmatch X-rays revealed that Lekic had not suffered a break of any type, but further evaluation confirmed that he had incurred a severe ankle sprain during the fall. That ankle sprain will keep him out for about four weeks, according to Revolution boss Steve Nicol.
The injury comes as the Danish striker had started to settle into his burgeoning partnership with Caraglio (six goals in 21 appearances) and produce more frequently in front of goal.
Lekic benefited from Caraglio's willingness to serve as a prototypical target player and scored two goals in two contests prior to limping off against the Timbers. Nicol said the duo posed problems for opposing sides in recent weeks, but he admitted those positive showings may not count for much after Lekic's injury.
“He and Milton have been kind of getting things going together a wee bit,” Nicol told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “Obviously, that's washed out now.”
That momentum as a partnership looks all but lost for the remainder of the season. Lekic looks set to miss at least four of the Revolution's five remaining matches, though the timetable does suggest that he could return in time for the season finale at Toronto FC on Oct. 22 if his recovery proceeds as planned.
