D.C. United center-back Dejan Jakovic will miss 4-6 weeks of action after suffering a hamstring injury while playing with the Canadian national team, as first reported by Steven Goff of The Washington Post .
Jakovic, who was born in present-day Croatia but was brought to Canada by his parents when he was six to escape the war-torn former Yugoslavia, was called up to Canada's Gold Cup roster last month and suffered the injury in a pre-tournament friendly June 1 against Ecuador. Jakovic only played 39 minutes before being substituted in the eventual 2-2 draw. Goff reported earlier today that Jakovic had returned to D.C. to begin rehabbing the injury.
Jakovic has started 10 of United's 12 games so far this season at centerback and has played a total of 874 minutes, second only to Chris Pontius. He was sent off for the second time in his MLS career on March 26 in United's 2-1 loss at New England.
The United States opens its Gold Cup campaign Tuesday night with a Group C match against Canada at Detroit's Ford Field. Kick-off is at 8:00.