Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was diagnosed with Localized Ewing Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and began treatment this week.
Orlando announced Stajduhar’s diagnosis on Wednesday. The 19-year-old Homegrown player will be placed on the club’s season ending injury list.
Team doctors found a cancerous lesion during a routine exam. Ewing sarcoma is a type of tumor that forms in bone or soft tissue.
“Fortunately for Mason, we discovered this early, giving him a better chance for a cure and full recovery,” Daryl Osbahr, MD, medical director for Orlando City SC and chief of sports medicine for Orlando Health said in a statement released by the club. “We’re dedicated to working with Mason and his oncologists to fight his bone cancer and begin his road to recovery.”
Stajduhar starred for the Orlando City U-18 squad and was named to the US Soccer Development Academy Best XI in 2015. In November 2015, at just 17, Stajduhar signed a first-team contract with the Lions. He’s yet to make his professional debut, but he has been included in five Orlando City B gameday rosters, including in four of the USL club’s last six matches in 2017. He has appeared with the US U-18 and U-20 national teams.
“This is a difficult situation for Mason and his family, and I speak on behalf of our entire organization in standing behind the Stajduhars through his recovery process,” Lions head coach Jason Kreis said in a statement released by the club. “We will respect their privacy during this time and ask that everyone does the same.”
