Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe has a medial sprain of his left ankle, and no fracture, coach Caleb Porter has confirmed, though the amount of time Nagbe is expected to spend on the sidelines is still to be determined.
Porter said at training on Tuesday that Nagbe would be out for Wednesday night's game against FC Dallas and likely for Saturday against San Jose as well, though the club would not look past this weekend.
Nagbe sustained the injury during Sunday's 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy, when he was on the receiving end of a horror tackle from the Galaxy's Nigel de Jong. The U.S. international was immediately substituted and following the game was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
Referee Allen Chapman issued just a yellow card to de Jong, but it is widely expected that the Galaxy midfielder will receive supplementary punishment in the form of a suspension from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
As one of the league's more creative players, Nagbe has long drawn the attention of MLS defenses. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Nagbe has been the most fouled player in MLS over the past five years, incurring 320 fouls. That is 36 more than Real Salt Lake's Javier Morales over the same period.
Just two weeks ago, Real Salt Lake's Juan Manuel Martinez was retroactively banned for one game for a tackle on Nagbe after initially receiving a yellow card.
The fact that X-rays were negative bodes well for Nagbe's recovery, especially as it relates to this summer's Copa America Centenario. The Liberian-born Nagbe has been in the reckoning of U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann ever since the midfielder acquired U.S. citizenship last September. He has since made five appearances for the national team.
The incident will also put the league's referees under greater scrutiny. The opening five weeks of the season had seen 16 red cards handed out, drawing complaints from players and coaches that there were too many ejections, though there were no red cards issued last weekend.