After missing FC Dallas' 3-1 victory over Minnesota United on Saturday night, 20-year-old midfielder Paxton Pomykal could have season-ending hip surgery, Dallas manager Luchi Gonzalez confirmed postgame.
The news, first reported by 3rd Degree which covers FC Dallas, comes at a particularly inopportune moment, given Dallas have also negotiated a transfer to send 22-year-old defender Reggie Cannon to Portuguese first-division side Boavista, according to MLSsoccer.com's Tom Bogert.
"He hasn’t had any surgery yet, but it is a very strong discussion and it’s very possible, so we’re just preparing for that," Gonzalez said. "This could hold him out of the whole season. That’s not ideal for the team, but you saw tonight other guys step it up."
As it is, pain in the hip area has prevented Pomykal from playing as many minutes as he might otherwise. Prior to missing Saturday's contest, he had started in only one of his five league appearances and played only 150 minutes in total.
"We’ve been trying to manage him with minutes and have freshness with him," Gonzalez said. "But it was too painful to continue, and we support him 100%. He’s a brave young man and he’s mentally really strong, and like I said, if this is going to get him 100% healthy then I support it fully."
Gonzalez didn't give an exact diagnosis, but explained it was not directly related to a previous sports hernia procedure.
"There’s something in there that potentially needs a procedure in his hip," he said. "There was no procedure done before prior. There was a hernia repair that needed to be done, in terms of the tissue and the tendons and the muscle in the abdominal wall. But this is different. This is in the hip area. This is more of a bone issue."
