Across the last four years of 2022 World Cup preparation, the United States has been consistently struck by the injury bug. As the team heads into the final international break before the FIFA tournament begins, the situation is no different.
A host of important players have been struck down in recent weeks, as head coach Gregg Berhalter will be sweating the health and form of key players as the World Cup draws ever closer. Many players are either struggling with new injuries or dealing with lingering problems that have continued through the season.
Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, and others were sidelined at various points around the September international break, while others like Gio Reyna have picked up new problems in the final friendlies before the 2022 World Cup, while Weston McKennie and Matt Turner missed time in the run-up to the World Cup start.
Here is an updated list of all key USMNT internationals currently struggling with injury problems, either sidelined or with a reduced ability to compete.
MORE: A full breakdown of the USMNT roster for the September friendlies vs. Japan & Saudi Arabia
Weston McKennie (quad)
In one of the more concerning and alarming bits of USMNT injury news of the past few weeks, Juventus midfielder and regular USMNT starter Weston McKennie may now be in a race against time to be ready for the 2022 World Cup.
McKennie came off at halftime of a 1-0 Juventus win over Lecce on October 29. A day later, a report emerged from Romeo Agresti of Goal Italia that McKennie is down with a quad strain that would keep him sidelined for two weeks. Indeed, McKennie missed the Derby d’Italia on November 6, which saw Juventus top Inter 2-0 in a surprising result.
Normally, two weeks isn’t anything to worry about, but with the World Cup now less than a month away, he could be a real question mark for head coach Gregg Berhalter. McKennie is a regular of the “MMA” midfield along Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah, and would be a massive miss for the USMNT should he be sidelined during the World Cup.
Matt Turner (groin)
The presumed starter in goal for the United States has become a reliable goalkeeper for Arsenal in the club’s Europa League journey, spelling Aaron Ramsdale in net for the tournament matches, while the England international starts in the Premier League.
Thus, it was a surprise to see Turner miss out in Arsenal’s October 27 Europa League match against PSV. The club revealed that Turner was suffering from groin tightness, and while he missed his chance to earn another 90 minutes, the injury was not expected to keep him out long-term.
It seemed a bit of a worry as he missed three matches in total, but Turner returned to the Arsenal bench to back up Aaron Ramsdale on November 6 in a 1-0 win over Chelsea. He should be fit for selection in Qatar barring any further setbacks.
Josh Sargent (calf)
Already a fringe option on the edges of Gregg Berhalter’s roster consideration up front, Josh Sargent was potentially facing an injury problem as well that could keep him sidelined for the tournament as well.
The 22-year-old missed his first match of the season on October 29 when Norwich City downed Stoke City in the Championship, with head coach Dean Smith confirming that Sargent was dealing with a calf strain. He then missed the next match on November 2 as well, compounding the issue.
The injury appeared minor, with Smith stating that “He’s got the opportunity to maybe get called up for the World Cup, so we can’t risk him.” Sure enough, Sargent returned to play the full 90 minute against Rotherham on November 5 in a 2-1 victory, indicating he will be fit for selection should Berhalter wish to include him on the 26-man roster.
Tyler Adams (undisclosed)
The lynchpin of the U.S. midfield had started every game of the season for Leeds this year until October 23 when he was notably absent from the squad to face Fulham in the Premier League.
It was subsequently reported that Adams had suffered an undisclosed “muscle injury” and that it was thought to be minor. Still, he was kept out of the squad as a precaution. His absence was notable, as Fulham overwhelmed Leeds for much of the game en route to a 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage.
Leeds next play at Liverpool on October 29 before a home date with Bournemouth on November 5. U.S. fans will be pleading with the injury gods to have Adams return for one of those matches before the World Cup arrives in late November.
Adams has a muscular injury, described as minor but enough to keep him out today. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) October 23, 2022
Luca de la Torre (hamstring)
Luca de la Torre’s chances of making the World Cup roster just got even slimmer as he went down with a hamstring injury, Celta Vigo announced on October 28.
The 24-year-old would not play again for the Spanish side before the World Cup thanks to a grade I hamstring tear.
De La Torre has impressed in an understudy midfield role for the United States, but has failed to earn time with his club since signing this past offseason from relegated Dutch side Heracles. He’s played just 50 total minutes this season, which left his World Cup resume paltry. Now, he’ll have to surpass not only a lack of minutes but also an injury to prove he deserves selection from Gregg Berhalter for the tournament in Qatar.
Gio Reyna (hamstring)
Gio Reyna missed nearly the entire club season last year with a hamstring injury that just would not go away. The injury was initially suffered on international duty, withdrawn late in the 0-0 draw with El Salvador that began the competition a year ago in the September break.
The 19-year-old attempted numerous comebacks since, with many falling short and seeing Reyna return to the trainer’s room. In February, Reyna earned his first start since August, but only made it 29 minutes before he was brought off the field in tears. After just six minutes of play against Stuttgart on April 8, Reyna was withdrawn and could be seen in tears again as he exited the pitch. Dortmund boss Marco Rose confirmed that Reyna would miss the rest of the season.
He has finally returned to the field successfully, and his club team Borussia Dortmund are taking things slow. However, with recent injuries to Thorgan Hazard and Mario Gotze, Reyna will be needed for big minutes in the run-up to the World Cup, a major test of his fitness.
However, in the September friendly against Saudi Arabia, Reyna again felt a twinge in his hamstring, and was forced off after 30 minutes due to “tightness,” according to U.S. Soccer. Reyna could be seen kicking the ball out of play to allow for his substitution.
Paul Arriola enters the match for the @USMNT replacing Gio Reyna 🇺🇸
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/09Ux5IhJWR
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 27, 2022
Borussia Dortmund stated that Reyna would miss 7-10 days for recovery, and while it could have been much worse, worries about his ability to stay healthy persist.
🎙 Edin Terzic:
“Gio Reyna , Gregor Kobel and Marco Reus will not be available to us yet. Gio has a strain and will be out for 7 to 10 days. Everyone else who were slightly injured during the break are fit for action on Saturday.”
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 29, 2022
Reyna has since returned to the field, slowly building back to full match fitness. He played 11 minutes in his return on October 11 against Sevilla in the Champions League, came off the bench again five days later in the Bundesliga, and then made his first start against Stuttgart on October 22, playing 66 minutes. He got another start on October 25 and played 87 minutes in the 0-0 draw against Man City.
MORE: Predicting the 26-man roster for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup
Antonee “Jedi” Robinson (ankle)
The USMNT left-back went down in a Fulham match in early September against Tottenham, twisting his ankle as he attempted to deliver a cross.
Gregg Berhalter and Fulham manager Marco Silva both referred to his situation as “day-to-day” at thet ime, with Berhalter saying “we’re not sure exactly” when he will return to Fulham training. Both his club and country struggled to replace the 25-year-old.
Robinson returned to action with Fulham on October 9 against West Ham, and played the full 90 minutes in four consecutive club games since seeing the field.
Timothy Weah (ankle)
The Lille winger tweaked his ankle prior to the season, and his recovery has been slow. As of the September international break, Weah had not yet appeared for Lille this season.
Gregg Berhalter said in his press conference ahead of the September international break that Weah should be back in club training soon, possibly even at some point over the break. That would bode well for his return to the field prior to the World Cup.
He has since returned to the field for Lille, seeing his first action on October 9, earning 16 minutes off the bench. He came on as a substitute in two other Ligue 1 matches since then, before earning the start in the next two to usher in November, including a full 90 minute performance on November 6 against Stade Rennes. His return was slow, as expected, as he was seeing his first match action of the campaign, but it looks like he’ll be at full match fitness once the World Cup begins.
Yunus Musah (groin)
One of the presumed midfield starters for the United States was pulled back from the September friendlies after suffering a groin injury with his club team Valencia.
Gregg Berhalter has a few options at midfield, and Musah’s absence gave the U.S. head coach a chance to test other players in the middle. Johnny Cardoso was called in to replace the Valencia man, and he saw some time as did Kellyn Acosta and Luca de la Torre. Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna, and Brenden Aaronson have also shown an ability to play deeper midfield roles if needed as well.
Musah was expected to be ok in short order thanks to his “minor” injury, and sure enough, he missed just two club matches before returning to play 28 minutes on October 7 against Osasuna. He has since started every La Liga match of Valencia, although has looked below standards at times since his return.
Zack Steffen (knee)
While the USMMT goalkeeper situation was already on shaky ground with the two presumed top starting options both riding the bench at their parent clubs, it’s now even more questionable after Zack Steffen picked up a knee injury.
While Matt Turner has been backing up Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal, Steffen was also stuck behind Ederson at Manchester City. The Citizens decided to loan Steffen out for playing time, and he moved to Middlesbrough where he was expected to start when healthy.
Five matches into the Championship season, Steffen went down with a knee injury, not only leaving his standing within the USMNT goalkeeping room in question, but at his club as well. Steffen missed four Championship matches before returning on September 17, and has started every game for Middlesborough since, earning three clean sheets.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (knock)
The USMNT center-back missed a key chance to jockey himself into a starting spot at the World Cup after pulling up with a late knock just ahead of the start of camp.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou said that CCV was “a little sore” after the draw at Shakhtar Donetsk, and he was not included in the squad to face St. Mirren in league play over the weekend. In CCV’s absence, Celtic tasted defeat in Scottish Premiership play for the first time this season.
This seemed a small injury, and while the USMNT left Carter-Vickers off the September international roster, he missed just two club games before returning to full action at center-back. He has started every match for the club since his return.
Chris Richards (undisclosed)
Along with Carter-Vickers, Richards was also withdrawn from the USMNT roster for the September friendlies at the last minute, but the Crystal Palace defender’s injury was not disclosed. However, U.S. Soccer called his and CCV’s injuries “minor” in the official release, giving him hope to return soon.
Despite that, the miss is a brutal blow to Richards, who needed international minutes in the worst way. He’s been unable to find time under Patrick Viera to begin his Premier League career, and while it’s a small sample size thanks to numerous cancellations, he will need to break into the Crystal Palace lineup to have a chance at being included on the plane to Qatar.
Richards has yet to start for the club as of late October, not even seeing the bench since a September 3 game against Newcastle when he was an unused substitute.
Cristian Roldan (sports hernia)
The Seattle Sounders midfielder seemed a good bet to make the World Cup roster as a fringe player who could get time in case of injury. Then an injury of his own struck, leaving him in a race for time.
Roldan misses the September friendlies and could be left at home after having surgery to repair a sports hernia in late August. The recovery timeline is 4-6 weeks, but often these things linger and affect performance for longer. The 27-year-old had apparently tried to gut it out, but just couldn’t remain effective and elected to have surgery.
While Roldan should return to club action just before the World Cup, he may not be fit enough to prove he deserves one of the 26 spots on the roster in Qatar. It’s going to be really tight.
Miles Robinson (Achilles)
I’m sick to my stomach for Miles Robinson. Another Achilles for @ATLUTD is mind blowing. #UNITEandConquer #USMNT pic.twitter.com/UklMtjRave
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) May 7, 2022
On May 7, starting USMNT center-back Miles Robinson suffered a serious foot injury in an MLS match for Atlanta United against the Chicago Fire.
In the 18th minute of the match, Robinson landed awkwardly on his left foot settling the ball with his chest under no pressure. He went down in pain and slapped the ground in frustration, immediately aware that something bad had happened. Robinson was eventually stretchered off the field, clearly in pain and very upset.
After the match, Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda said, “I think it’s going to be a bad injury.” Sure enough, on Monday morning, Roger Gonzalez of CBS Sports reported that Robinson indeed does have a torn Achilles and will have surgery immediately, confirmed by Atlanta United within the hour. No word of a timetable for his return was immediately available, but it will be a race for his World Cup availability, and that may well prove a losing battle.
🚨 Sources tell CBS Sports that USMNT defender Miles Robinson will undergo surgery today. It is indeed a torn Achilles.
— Roger Gonzalez (@RGonzalezCBS) May 9, 2022
Social media reaction to the injury seemed to point towards playing on turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a potential cause for the injury, as Atlanta United has suffered a number of long-term tendon injuries this season, many coming on turf fields both at home and on the road. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan also tore his Achilles, and midfielder Ozzie Alonso tore his ACL.
Robinson has been a first-choice defender for a number of years now under head coach Gregg Berhalter, and at a position of thin depth for the United States, it will be a race against time for Robinson to regain match fitness for the 2022 World Cup, with likely not enough time for a return before the tournament.
MORE: A full breakdown of the Miles Robinson injury and who could replace him at center-back
