D.C. United, having consulted with Doctor James Gilbert of Metro Orthopedics and Sports Therapy in Silver Spring, Md., announced today that midfielder-forward Dwayne De Rosario has suffered a grade III MCL sprain. De Rosario suffered the injury on Tuesday in the first half of a 2-0 loss to Panama in Panama City while with the Canadian Men’s National Team. The reigning Volkswagen MLS MVP will be sidelined 10-12 weeks as a result of the injury.

“DeRo is our captain, a great player and impossible to replace,” said D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen. “With that said, we have talented players that will step up in his absence and this injury will not be an excuse to fall short of goals we set for ourselves as a team at the beginning of the season.”

De Rosario has played in 26 games (25 starts) through the 2012 campaign with D.C. United. On August 29, he netted his 100th career MLS goal, putting him at seventh all time. This season, De Rosario has seven goals to his name, while ranking second in the League in assists with 12.

Last week, in Canada’s 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto, De Rosario netted the game-winner in the 77th minute. The goal, De Rosario’s 20th for Canada (71 appearances), put him as the nation’s all-time goal scoring leader.