Atlanta United Places Zach Loyd on Season-Ending Injury List

This is a quiet ending to one of Atlanta United’s expansion-draft gambles.

Atlanta United placed Zach Loyd on the season-ending injury list Tuesday, ending the veteran defender’s first season with the club after one appearance.

Loyd started Atlanta United’s 3-2 U.S. Open Cup win over the Charleston Battery on June 14 and played the first 45 minutes before coming off at halftime with an unspecified injury. That injury is now confirmed as concussion-related.

Atlanta selected Loyd from FC Dallas in the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft because he fit a clear first-year need. He had made 180 MLS appearances from 2010 through 2016, including 168 starts, and could play both fullback and center back. For a first-year roster built around younger attacking pieces and international signings, Loyd offered dependable MLS experience in the back line.

Loyd also arrived with recent injury concerns. His final season in Dallas ended after a concussion in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup against Oklahoma City. After Atlanta selected him, he missed preseason training with an offseason groin injury, and by late March the club listed him out while he continued rehabilitation after groin surgery.

Atlanta took a risk on a proven MLS defender with recent injury concerns. For Loyd, the result is an unfortunate end to a difficult first season with the club. He leaves the 2017 roster after one half in the Open Cup, with the focus now on his recovery.