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Maxi Moralez ruled out for Tuesday’s match against Orlando City

City’s star DP will miss NYCFC’s second group stage match with a quad injury, and maybe more

By Christian A Smith
New York City FC v Philadelphia Union - MLS Is Back Tournament Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.

Earlier today, New York City FC manager Ronny Deila revealed in a press conference call that attacking midfielder Maxi Moralez would not be featured in Tuesday’s group stage match against Orlando City. According to Deila, Moralez has sustained a quad injury and will have an MRI tomorrow.

Regarding Maxi’s return to play, Deila said that the star Designated Player could be out for “many weeks” pending the MRI results.

Moralez, 33, has been integral to City’s game plan since arriving to the team prior to the 2017 season. In 2019, ‘Frasquito’ led the Boys in Blue to a first-place finish in the East with a total of 20 assists and 7 goals in 29 total appearances (28 starts). Losing a player so adept at pulling the strings from the midfield is never a good thing.

NYCFC’s attacking midfielder options are quite low, with the only realistic replacement possibly being Taty Castellanos who has shown gusto when deployed in central attacking positions in the past. Other shouts could be Keaton Parks, Gedion Zelalem, or the seldom-seen Juan Pablo Torres.

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