USMNT injury crisis: Pulisic, Cardoso, and Tessmann major worries as World Cup countdown begins
Mauricio Pochettino lost two players to injury this month - just weeks before he is due to announce his definitive World Cup roster.
It’s every head coach’s worst nightmare. The World Cup, the biggest soccer event on the planet, is drawing closer - strengths and weaknesses have been defined, friendlies played, the roster more or less established and preliminary list drawn up... then someone gets injured.
Apart from the emotional stress involved - losing something you have been looking forward to at the last minute, quick-fix solutions need to be found. If you don’t have a Plan B, you’ll be stuck.
That’s precisely the situation USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino finds himself in with the team’s World Cup opener against Paraguay just a little over four week’s away.
Pochettino is due to announce his 26-man roster on May 26 - a week before FIFA’s June 2 deadline. But the Argentine coach is facing an unexpected selection headache less than a fortnight before the big unveil in New York City, which will be aired live on FOX.
Pochettino’s midfield options dwindle
Three players, all potential candidates for the USMNT World Cup squad, have gone down injured this month.
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso was a borderline case for Poch’s World Cup roster but is now definitively ruled out. The Atlético Madrid player suffered a high‑grade sprain to his right ankle with joint damage and a partial ligament tear.
Cardoso underwent surgery in Barcelona on Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for at least nine weeks.
Tessman KO
The problems in midfield continued to mount up after Tanner Tessmann was ruled out for the rest of the season by his club, Olympique Lyon. Tessman had a good chance of being included in Pochettino’s 26 due to his versatility, as he can double up in defense if needed. He has figured in all of the USMNT’s last six games, was in the starting XI for three of them and completed two full games.
It is very unlikely that Tessman will be included in the final list - even if he has recovered by early June. Poch won’t list him if he is unavailable for the two pre-tournament warm-up friendlies against Senegal and Germany. Nor would the coach take any player who is just back from injury on the off chance, considering the importance of the event.
Pulisic scare
An even bigger concern is Christian Pulisic. He sat out AC Milan’s game against Atalanta on Sunday after complaining of discomfort to his lower back coupled with a thigh strain. Pulisic was back out on the training pitch today (Wednesday) and should be available for the team’s final two matches of the season, against Genoa and Cagliari - if he stays out of the casualty room.
The Milan forward has had a number of fitness issues this season - a hamstring injury kept him out for three weeks in October, and forced Pochettino to rest him for the following month’s friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.
Otherwise, Pulisic has been a mainstay in recent months. As the most-capped player in the current squad and one of the few with previous World Cup experience, losing him at this late stage would be a nightmare for the coach.
The USMNT opens its World Cup campaign on June 13 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California.
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