Orlando City SC goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was diagnosed with Localized Ewing Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and begins treatment this week. Stajduhar will be placed on the First Team’s Season-Ending Injury List.
“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. “We will respect their privacy during this time and ask that everyone does the same.”
An exam by team doctors uncovered a cancerous lesion that prompted further evaluation. “Fortunately for Mason, we discovered this early, giving him a better chance for a cure and full recovery,” said Daryl Osbahr, MD, medical director for Orlando City SC and chief of sports medicine for Orlando Health. “We’re dedicated to working with Mason and his oncologists to fight his bone cancer and begin his road to recovery.”
Stajduhar, 19, starred for the Orlando City Development Academy U-18 squad and was named to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Best XI in 2015. In November 2015, at just 17 years old, Stajduhar was signed as a Homegrown goalkeeper for Orlando City during the team’s inaugural season in MLS and has since trained with the First Team and Orlando City B, the Club’s USL side. Though he has yet to make his professional debut, Stajduhar has been included in five OCB 18-man gameday rosters, including in four of OCB’s last six matches in 2017.
The East Lyme, Conn., native has appeared with the U.S. U-18 and U-20 national teams and made his youth international debut in October 2015 against Scotland.
