New York Red Bulls center back Aaron Long underwent successful surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles’ tendon on Monday afternoon and will miss the remainder of the 2021 MLS season, it was announced Tuesday.
Long suffered the injury in RBNY’s 1-0 loss at the Philadelphia Union on May 15, where he played the full 90 minutes. Named the MLS Defender of the Year in 2018, Long has eight goals and three assists in 110 MLS matches (105 starts).
Without Long, RBNY will turn to Sean Nealis, Amro Tarek and Andres Reyes as leading options at center back. They also have Mandela Egbo, though this is certainly a blow for the Eastern Conference side’s plans as head coach Gerhard Struber looks to make his mark.
Long’s injury also impacts the US men’s national team depth chart ahead of a busy stretch that includes Nations League, Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying matches. He’s been capped 21 times by the USMNT, scoring three times.
