Minnesota United's Kevin Molino sidelined with ACL tear

Minnesota United will have to do without its most productive midfielder as the club confirmed Monday that Kevin Molino suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the Loons' 2-1 win over Orlando City, and requires surgery as a result.

The 27-year-old is expected to miss the remainder of the 2018 season. He was stretchered off in the 51st minute of play against the Lions on Saturday.

Molino was acquired by the Loons out of Orlando in 2017, and went on to make 30 appearances, scoring seven goals and recording nine assists. He had already scored a pair of goals and recorded an assist in a 3-2 season-opening loss against the San Jose Earthquakes the week before.

His absence presents a major problem for head coach Adrian Heath. Without Molino in the team's No. 10 position, Heath may need to switch to a two-striker formation and play both Abu Danladi and Christian Ramirez side by side, or call upon Ibson to step into Molino's shoes.

Molino is the second MLS star to be ruled out with an ACL injury in 2018, joining Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris on the sideline. It is the second time that Molino's torn an ACL during his MLS career, having previously experienced the same injury in his right knee while with Orlando in 2015.

It took the Trinidad and Tobago international nine months to recover from that setback.