By Canadian Press

Toronto FC lose impressive rookie Achara for the season due to knee injury

Jul 2, 2020 | 7:48 AM

Toronto FC suffered a blow on the eve of flying to Florida for the MLS is Back Tournament with news that Ifunanyachi Achara is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

The club said the rookie forward tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He will undergo surgery next Tuesday.

The 22-year-old from Nigeria earned a contract in late February after impressing in the pre-season. He scored in his MLS debut, notching the winning goal in Toronto’s home opener March 7 against New York City FC, after moving into the starting lineup on short notice when Tsubasa Endoh failed a fitness test

Achara, whose career at Georgetown University was interrupted by injury, was selected in the first round (25th overall) of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.

Toronto opens the MLS is Back Tournament on July 10 against D.C. United before facing the Montreal Impact on July 15 and the New England Revolution on July 21.

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The club is slated to leave Friday.

All the games are taking place at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in the Orlando area.

Major League Soccer has been on hiatus since March 12, two weeks into its season, due to the global pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2020.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press