(D.C. United)

D.C. United midfielder Chris Pontius underwent surgery today on his left hamstring and sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back and down the leg, and will need six to eight weeks to recover. The timetable should allow ample time to begin preseason workouts when MLS camps open in late January.

Injuries limited Pontius to 22 league matches and 19 starts this season. A Best XI selection in 2012, Pontius managed just two goals and three assists this year. He had surgery on his right hamstring late in the 2010 season. In 2011, his season was cut short by a broken leg.

The latest procedure all but ends hope of gaining an invitation to Juergen Klinsmann‘s U.S. national team camp in January.

Defender Daniel Woolard (73 league starts the past three seasons) had surgery on his left big toe and will need to rest for four to six weeks.

Meantime, United is looking to arrange short training stints overseas for several players during MLS’s break. (These are not loans or trials.) Goalkeeper Bill Hamid is a likely candidate and will probably head abroad after the club’s Indonesian tour in early December. It’s possible, though, he would join a club this month. After the 2011 season, Hamid trained with West Brom in England for 10 days.