Minnesota United lose Bakaye Dibassy to season-ending leg injury

Minnesota United starting center back Bakaye Dibassy will miss the rest of this season and probably the start of the 2023 season because of a ruptured right leg quadricep muscle, injured early in Saturday's 2-1 comeback victory over Houston.

The club announced Monday afternoon Dibassy will miss the rest of this season. After morning training, Loons coach Adrian Heath said Dibassy "probably won't be fit for the start of next year as well."

The Loons are 8-1-2 in their last 11 games and third in MLS' Western Conference.

Heath said his club has the financial flexibility to sign a center-back replacement by Friday's deadline to submit its final 30-man roster, but doesn't plan to do so.

"We will go with what we've got," Heath said.

Dibassy last month signed a new one-year contract with a club option that starts next season.

He was acquired during the 2020 season from Amiens SC in France's first division and has started all 26 games in which he has appeared each of the last two seasons. He has started 62 of 63 MLS games in which he has played for the Loons.

"I'm gutted for him," fellow Loons veteran center back Michael Boxall said after Saturday's game.

Loons veteran defender Brent Kallman substituted into the game's sixth minute after Dibassy contested for a ball and came down clutching his right leg in obvious pain.

Kallman played the rest of the game alongside Boxall and is the first backup option at a position where central midfielder Kervin Arriaga, former first-round pick Nabi Kibunguchy and former No. 4 overall SuperDraft pick Callum Montgomery also can play.

Arriaga has played Dibassy's position for his Honduras club and national teams.

"Brent has never let us down when he has been called upon and it's next man up," Heath said as his team trained for Wednesday's game at Real Salt Lake. "We've got a couple other options we could use, but I'm happy them two [Boxall and Kallman] have played together on numerous occasions. Brent came on and did so well Saturday, so I don't see any reason we should get so concerned."

"I think that's trust I've earned from him and showed him over the years," Kallman said, referring to Heath. "Played a lot of games in a lot of different circumstances."

Starting left back Kemar Lawrence missed Saturday's game when Heath thought he'd return from a knee injury. Heath said Lawrence "probably won't be available for Wednesday," but should be by Saturday's important home game against fourth-place FC Dallas.

"It's not gotten better," Heath said. "We thought it would do. He said he's feeling better after the weekend."

D.J. Taylor has moved from right back to left back in Lawrence's absence.

Former MLS All-Star right back Romain Metanire was out on the training field Monday in a season where he has played just 22 minutes because of hamstring injuries.