Unfortunate news has been pouring in like a tidal wave. Just as captain Oscar is out of action until November, Brazilian shot-stopper Lopez suffered a serious injury in training and announced that he is out for the season. Shanghai Harbor officials released a statement yesterday, revealing the details of Lopez's injury: "MRI results show that Lopez has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, and the rest of the season is in jeopardy. The club has formulated a treatment program for him, and after consulting with the players, it was decided that Lopez will go to Brazil to undergo surgery, and the club will continue to pay attention to his recovery process."
Injury troubles for Oscar and Lopez have forced Mooy to continue to represent Australia in the Asian 12 of the World Cup qualifiers. Currently, the Harbour are left with only Croatian center back Mystorovic, who is recovering from a serious knee injury, and attacker Paulinho, who was brought in during the summer transfer, available for regular training and matches.
It is worth mentioning that the schedule of the upcoming FA Cup in October has basically been finalized. The first round of matches is scheduled for October 13-15, while the second round will be held from October 18-20, the first round of the third round (quarter-finals) will be held from October 23-25 and the second round from October 28-30, and the first round of the semi-finals will be held on November 4 and the second round on November 8, respectively. The draw will be held on September 29, but the venues for the matches have not yet been finalized.
As a result, the Harbour team can only rely on two foreigners to play before the semi-finals of the F.A.C.A. Cup. Even if the team can make it to the semi-finals, it remains to be seen whether Oscar will be able to return. Coupled with the absence of Yan Junling, Stanley Wong and Li Ang, Harbour's journey in the F.A.C.A. Cup seems to be overshadowed by the absence of the three key players in the defense.
