[MLS] Unless it brings in another goalkeeper, FC Dallas will be playing Ray Burse in goal for at least the next month. Regular goalie Dario Sala, who sat out most of April after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee, is projected to miss the next four to six weeks to recover from bone bruising detected in that same knee by an MRI exam.

Sala, 34, started the season opener against Chicago, a 3-1 loss, after which he complained of knee pain and underwent surgery to repair damage to the meniscus. After sitting out four games, he played April 25 against Chivas USA and in the 25th minute received a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty area.

Recurring pain in the knee forced him to miss the team's last game, a 1-0 loss to Houston last Saturday. This season, Sala has played in just those two games (115 minutes) and allowed three goals (2.35). In his stead, Burse has played seven games (six starts) and made 24 saves while conceding 12 goals for a 1.79 goals-allowed average. Burse played just two league games last year and spent half the season on loan to Portland (USL-1), for which he played 13 games.

FCD displayed one of its best defensive games of the season last Saturday yet still lost, 1-0, in Houston with Burse making three saves. His backup is Josh Lambo, 18, who has yet to play for FCD in a league match since being chosen as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2008 SuperDraft.

Last year, Sala started 28 of 30 games and posted seven shutouts while compiling a 1.32 goals-allowed average, eighth-best among MLS keepers who played at least 15 games. Last November he signed a new contract that pays him a base salary of $140,000 this season. Burse ($34,650) earns less than one-half of Lambo's salary ($70,000).