Lee Nguyen Goes Under The Knife

According to a team release, New England Revolution midfielder and second-leading goalscorer Lee Nguyen underwent surgery on his right shoulder earlier today. He is expected to miss the remainder of the 2012 season as he recovers, becoming the second Revs player in a short period of time to have season-ending surgery after Saer Sene had his ACL repaired.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Scott Martin at the Brigham and Women's/Mass General Health Care Center in Foxboro. It was something called a "Latarjet" procedure, and was intended to correct chronic instability in the shoulder.

This came out of left field, unless I missed something. Lee looked like he took several rough-ish shots in this weekend's match against the New York Red Bulls, but he finished the game and nothing really stood out as a big injury-inducing event. Up until this point, nothing had come out of Foxboro regarding his status or the fact that he was carrying an injury.

Regardless, it appears that he was. "Chronic Shoulder Instability" apparently happens when the shoulder is loose and it slips out of place repeatedly. This usually occurs after a shoulder dislocation; once you pop it out the first time, it becomes easier and easier to do it again. Team sources confirmed that this has been a lingering issue for Nguyen.

With the Revs out of the playoff race, the impact of this injury isn't quite as dramatic. Obviously, Nguyen is the squad's creative engine - and a valuable scoring threat - but his absence won't be detrimental to any hopes the Revs might have going forward. If anything, it creates more opportunities for Jay Heaps to try out different players in the midfield and get a feel for who he wants to hold onto for next season.