Toronto FC's Italian striker Sebastian Giovinco attends a season wrapping news conference in Toronto on Tuesday, December 13, 2016. Giovinco received treatment for a painful charley horse as his Toronto teammates trained Tuesday in advance of this week's trip to Vancouver.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Star striker Sebastian Giovinco has been ruled out of Toronto FC's weekend game in Vancouver.
Giovinco suffered a painful charley horse in Saturday's 2-2 tie in Philadelphia.
Toronto said Giovinco left Tuesday night for Italy to meet with his doctor.
The club said the meeting had originally been scheduled during next week's bye week but was pushed forward when he was ruled out of Saturday's game.
The five-foot-four, 130-pound Italian had to be helped off late in the first half in Philadelphia when six-foot-four 210 pound defender Oguchi Onyewu caught him with a knee to the right thigh in a challenge.
Coach Greg Vanney said after training Tuesday that Giovinco was questionable for Saturday's game against the Whitecaps. They decided later that day that he was out.