D.C. United will be without standout midfielder and defending MLS MVP Dwayne DeRosario for up to 12 weeks after he sprained his MCL in an international match earlier this week.

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DeRosario, who has scored 7 goals and is second in Major League Soccer in assists with 12, suffered a grade III sprain of his MCL while playing for Canada in a 2014 World Cup qualification match against Panama on Sept. 11.

United currently sits one point out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with seven matches to go in the MLS regular season. Their 12-10-5 record is good for 41 points.

Head Coach Ben Olson says that the team will move forward without the reigning MVP, but that DeRosario will be "impossible to replace."

"We have talented players that will step up in his absence and this injury will not be an excuse to fall short of goals we set for ourselves as a team at the beginning of the season," Olsen said in a statement.

DeRosario ranks 7th all-time in goals in MLS and scored his 100th career goal on Aug. 29.