Fabian Espindola, D.C. United’s leading scorer and an early candidate for MLS’s MVP award, will miss six weeks after injuring his right knee during a 4-2 victory at Montreal last week.

Espindola suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament seconds after kickoff on a tackle by midfielder Felipe Martins and left the match at halftime. With seven goals and eight assists, the Argentine forward has been involved in more goals than any player in MLS. He is tied for first in assists with Portland’s Diego Valeri.

With Espindola leading the way, United (7-4-4) is first in the Eastern Conference — one year after finishing with the fewest victories (three) in league history.

Espindola will miss tonight’s U.S. Open Cup match at third-division Rochester (7 p.m., live stream) and, if United continues to advance, the round-of-16 game and quarterfinal as well. The club is on a two-week break from regular season play because of the World Cup, but on the recovery timetable, Espindola will miss at least five matches.