The landscape of the Western Conference changed drastically last weekend thanks to several significant injuries in Saturday's 0-0 draw between San Jose and Dallas.
FC Dallas midfielder Richard Mulrooney will miss the remainder of the MLS season after tearing a ligament in his right knee.
The 28-year-old Mulrooney, who played twice last year for the United States, injured his knee in the 27th minute of Saturday's game when challenging Earthquakes midfielder Ricardo Clark near the Dallas end line. His leg buckled after he planted his right foot. He played for five more minutes before collapsing to the ground and eventually leaving the game.
The news is worse for San Jose.
Defender Troy Dayak also suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Dayak, who earlier this season announced that 2005 would be his last season in MLS, suffered the injury in the first half. Dayak, 34, underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam on Monday afternoon, where the tear was confirmed.
Two more San Jose attacking players, midfielder Brian Mullan (ankle) and forward Brian Ching (hamstring), were also injured in the game. Both are expected to miss this weekend's game at Los Angeles, perhaps longer.
Earlier in the week, Quakes defender Craig Waibel suffered a torn ligament in his right knee during a scrimmage with Santa Clara University and is expected to be sidelined for four months.