Orlando City Striker Pedro Ribeiro Could Miss Up to Three Months with Torn Hamstring

Following a one-goal, one-assist performance against Montreal on March 28, it appeared that Orlando City had reason to be excited about the potential of 24-year-old striker Pedro Ribeiro. The Brazilian was very good against the Montreal Impact, with a Man-of-the-Match type performance, and appeared to be improving with each passing game, but he was dealt a blow just 20 minutes into Friday night’s 1-0 loss to D.C. United when he went down with a hamstring injury.

The news coming out of Orlando on Monday regarding Ribeiro's injury is grim, as it now appears that the Lions could be without the services of their young forward for two to three months, according to Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel.

Orlando City manager Adrian Heath broke the news following OCSC's Monday morning training session.

"When you get a torn hamstring it's a day-to-day thing," Heath said. "It's still extremely sore at this moment in time. You would think two to three months, depending how he responds to his treatment. It's a huge blow for the kid because he's worked so hard to sort of force his way into the team, and that's what he did. He forced his way into the team by what he did Monday to Friday out here and in a couple games that he played and scored goals in, so that's a blow for the kid."

The 6-foot-4 Ribeiro had been leading the Orlando front line in the early season, as the Lions have been without the services of Martin Paterson, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury of his own. Paterson was on the field working with trainers on Monday, per Tenorio’s report, but a possible return date was not specified.

After Ribeiro's departure on Friday night, first-year striker Cyle Larin played out the remaining 70 minutes against D.C. United, managing four shots, two of which were on target.