Atlanta United confirmed on Monday that they will be without star playmaker Miguel Almiron for a minimum of three weeks due to the left hamstring injury suffered in Sunday's match against the Montreal Impact at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
That timeline rules Almiron out of a minimum of three regular season matches (Sept. 27, Sept. 30 and Oct. 3) and could see him potentially make a return in the penultimate weekend of the regular season on October 15 at the New York Red Bulls.
He's also set to miss Paraguay's final two South American World Cup qualifiers at Colombia (Oct. 5) and home against Venezuela (Oct. 10) with three points currently separating them from the fifth and final playoff spot.
An emotionally distraught Almiron left Sunday's match after just 17 minutes and was replaced by rookie Julian Gressel. The 23-year-old Almiron has played in all 29 matches for Atlanta this season, starting 27 times and notching nine goals along with a team-high 13 assists.
Gressel, a Rookie of the Year candidate, is the likely player to replace Almiron in the attacking midfielder position. Other options include Kevin Kratz potentially filling the role, if necessary, or winger Yamil Asad moving inside from the left wing.
