Report: Gonzalo Veron out of New York Red Bulls' MLS season-opener with "hamstring issue"

Less than an hour before the New York Red Bulls were due to kick off their 2017 MLS season-opener against Atlanta United, the club issued a status update on Gonzalo Veron:

The player was subbed out of the second leg of RBNY's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Vancouver Whitecaps in the 8th minute - and was visibly upset about the injury that forced him out of the game. It was widely expected that he would miss the Atlanta game.

Veron's injury issues since arriving at RBNY in the middle of the 2015 season partially explain his erratic playing time for the team. Another long stint on the sidelines could see a repeat of 2016, when the Red Bulls got comfortable with a formation that didn't allow much room for Veron.

He has spent the preseason - much as he did last year - at the center of RBNY's efforts to get a 4-2-2-2 formation to click. In 2016, Veron was injured before the start of competitive play, and the 4-2-2-2 fizzled out in a flurry of bad results.

The Red Bulls have issued no timetable for Veron's recovery. It is advised he will "reevaluated" when RBNY returns home from Atlanta, with further update on his condition to be provided once that evaluation is complete.