San Francisco Deltas captain and defensive mainstay Nana Attakora underwent surgery on the meniscus in his right knee on Monday. Recovery time will be six to eight weeks, meaning he will miss most, if not all, of the remainder of the regular season.

Attakora has been conspicuously absent for the SF Deltas during the NASL Fall Season with a reported knee injury. It was hoped that rest would be enough to allow the defender to return to action, but it was ultimately decided that surgery was the best option for a full recovery.

The Deltas’ captain is the third starter to be recently lost by San Francisco. Midfielder Christian Portilla suffered a season-ending knee surgery, and Danny Cruz was transferred to the USL’s Real Monarchs.

“Losing players like Danny Cruz and Cristian Portilla was very difficult, and now, with the injury of Attakora, we will need every player to bring their very best and impact the team,” said SF Deltas head coach Marc Dos Santos.

Through 15 games in the Spring Season Attakora anchored the Deltas defense playing the full 90-minutes. He was often matched up on the oppositions most potent forward. Attakora won 60 percent of his aerial duels and had 73 clearances as the sweeper for the defense. He was twice named to the NASL team of the month.

In Attakora’s absence, defender Patrick Hopkins has taken over the role of central back in a three man defensive line for the Deltas.

The Deltas will try and cope without Attakora, and he may be able to rejoin the team just before the end of the season for a possible playoff run.

“Nana is the captain and an important piece of our puzzle,” said Dos Santos. “It is very difficult to lose a player like him. We wish him a healthy recovery, and we know that he’s going to come back stronger.”

San Francisco will be on the road this weekend to play the Indy Eleven on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. They return home on September 9th to match up against the league leading Miami FC.