On July 5, Sounders FC midfielder João Paulo suffered what was originally reported as an ACL injury during a matchday-1 training session held at the Providence Swedish Performance Center & Clubhouse.
However, when João Paulo went to have knee surgery on July 21 in Los Angeles, Orthopedic surgeon Bert R. Mandelbaum found that his ACL was fully intact. Rather than having to undergo ACL reconstruction surgery, João Paulo only needed a meniscus clean-up.
"I'm just so happy," voiced Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. "And JP is obviously very happy, and his teammates are happy. We let them know the news."
Originally expected to miss the rest of the 2025 season, he now could to return to play within the next couple of months.
"We're going to wait till he's back up here [from LA], but I can probably tell you that it's six to eight weeks, maybe from the date of injury," said Schmetzer.
