Molino suffers third ACL injury, misses rest of MLS season and Nations League start

Ace Trinidad and Tobago attacking midfielder Kevin Molino is set to miss another year through injury, after going down clutching his right knee in training for United States Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew on Tuesday.

Club officials confirmed today that Molino ‘will undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction on his right knee in the near future’ and is expected to be out for between nine to 12 months.

Photo: Columbus Crew and Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Kevin Molino.

The anticipated time-frame not only rules Molino out for the remainder of the MLS season but is likely to also keep him out of Trinidad and Tobago’s opening Concacaf Nations League assignments in March 2022.

Crew, the defending MLS Cup champions, signed Molino from Minnesota United in the pre-season. However, the former Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive schoolboy missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury and managed just 11 outings and one goal before his ACL gave out.

It is the third time that Molino has suffered a major ACL injury. In 2015, he missed most of the season for Orlando City SC—as well as the 2015 Concacaf Gold Cup and the semifinal round of the 2018 World Cup qualifying series—after tearing the ACL in his right knee.

He then suffered the same injury in his left knee with Minnesota in 2018 and lost another year of football.

Each time, Molino returned with a flurry of goals which ensured his services remained in high demand in the club and international game.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Kevin Molino (seated) looks for assistance during Concacaf Gold Cup play-off action against French Guiana on 6 July 2021.
(via TTFA Media)

Molino is Trinidad and Tobago’s joint sixth-highest scorer of all time with 23 goals alongside former Stoke City forward Kenwyne Jones. (Molino’s goals came in 55 appearances, while Jones got his from 90 international outings.)

Stern John, a former Crew striker, leads Trinidad and Tobago’s all-time scoring list with 70 international goals, followed by current interim head coach Angus Eve (34), Russell Latapy (29), Arnold Dwarika (28) and Cornell Glen (24).

Molino was unavailable for the entirety of Terry Fenwick’s spell as Men’s National Senior Team head coach, owing to a hamstring injury. But in July, he featured in all five outings for Eve at the Gold Cup—where he scored twice from three starts and two substitute appearances.

More from Wired868
Game on! TTFA pays up, after Levi’s public admonishment

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior players are prepared to represent their country in the 2026 Concacaf Nations League Read more

Levi: The truth about representing T&T, dealing with TTFA presidents, and that time I lied…

“[…] In Trinidad and Tobago, it feels like being a footballer is the worst job you can have. Elsewhere, in Read more

Overbearing! T&T footballers refuse Nations League call-ups, due to unpaid TTFA fees and disrespect

Do any Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team footballers still believe in the verbal assurances of Trinidad and Tobago Read more

Look Loy: The passage past Hispaniola—what King’s Warriors need to succeed in Nations League

“[…] We kick off the Nations League competition on the road against Haiti, followed by Dominican Republic at home (on Read more

Makeshift T&T team fall 1-0 to weakened US second tier club, Louisville City

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team suffered a humbling defeat in Louisville, Kentucky tonight, as the Soca Warriors Read more

T&T draw Haiti, Curaçao, and Dom Rep in Nations League; King targets ¼ final place

Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Derek King is targeting a Concacaf Nations League A quarterfinal berth, Read more

Check Also

Game on! TTFA pays up, after Levi’s public admonishment

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior players are prepared to represent their country in …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.