Chris Pontius
is back on the shelf for the forseeable future, after D.C. United announced Wednesday that the star midfielder will be out four to six months following surgery on his left hamstring.
It's the latest setback for Pontius (photo right courtesy of D.C. United) in a promising career that has so far been stunted by injury. He was sidelined with hamstring issues in 2010, suffered a broken leg that ended his 2011 season, and has continued to deal with a problematic left hamstring since.
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He originally had surgery on the affected muscle following the 2013 season in November, and was expected to return in early 2014 for United. However, ongoing issues with the injury persisted, and the expectation at the beginning of April was that Pontius would miss 8-12 weeks.
Now in his sixth season, Pontius has been able to rack up 27 goals and 16 assists in 123 regular-season appearances.
His best year came in 2012, when he scored 12 goals and grabbed seven assists, and helped lead D.C. United to the 2012 Eastern Conference Championship. He was also named to his first MLS Best XI that season, as well as the All-Star team.
