Orlando City
Yutaro Tsukada Placed On Season-Ending Injury List After Knee Surgery
The left winger is gone for the season after undergoing surgery to repair his ACL.
Orlando City announced this afternoon that midfielder Yutaro Tsukada underwent a successful surgery on his left ACL. As a result, the young attacker has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list and will miss the entire 2025 MLS season.
Tsukada went down in the first 20 minutes in a preseason friendly against CF Montreal on Feb. 8. The trainers worked on the left knee of the left-sided midfielder and he came back onto the field. However, he went down again after cutting inside during an attack, going to the ground without contact. This time he was done.
As the young attacker was helped off the field, he pulled his shirt over his eyes, indicating it was a serious injury that would likely see his season end before it began. That fear was confirmed with Orlando City’s announcement this afternoon.
The 23-year-old’s surgery took place Feb. 21 at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in downtown Orlando and was performed by the club’s chief medical officer and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Craig Mintzer.
Tsukada was drafted by Orlando City with the 25th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft out of West Virginia University. He subsequently signed with Orlando City B on March 15, 2024, making 22 appearances with 20 starts, scoring seven goals, and adding seven assists with the Young Lions.
The midfielder signed a short-term MLS contract last May and another in July before signing for the first team on Aug. 15. He made four appearances in his rookie year for the first team — all off the bench — and recorded 26 minutes.
Tsukada’s recovery is expected to take nine months, causing him to miss the entire 2025 MLS season. The club says he’ll be continuously evaluated throughout the rehabilitation process.
What It Means for Orlando City
It’s been a tough few months for Orlando City. The Lions sold their best player in Facundo Torres, lost starting striker Duncan McGuire until midseason with shoulder surgery, and lost starting defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena for the year. Now they lose a depth piece with Tsukada.
The midfielder’s loss isn’t quite as significant as the other three, as he would’ve backed up Ivan Angulo in the regular season. However, he showed tremendous promise last year with OCB, and the club seemed excited to see what he could do with a full season with the first team.
Instead, it’s another setback for another Lion. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery and we’ll be able to see what the young Japanese player can do at the MLS level.