Weston McKennie ruled out of return Nations League match against Trinidad and Tobago
The USMNT were dealt a blow with the news that the Juventus player sustained a knee problem which will see him miss the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Trinidad and Tobago.
Gregg Berhalter’s United States side have one foot on the 2024 Copa América and the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League, this after beating Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in Austin despite having a man advantage for much of the game after Noah Powder was given his marching orders after 37 minutes.
Despite the resounding victory, US fans were far from happy with the performance of Gregg Berhalter’s side with the coach set to be without Weston McKennie for the second leg in Port of Spain next week.
US Soccer confirmed that the Juventus player will return to Turin after complaining of a knee problem with a tendinopathy the issue. There are no plans at this late stage of the international window to call up a replacement.
Weston McKennie has departed camp to
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 18, 2023
recover from an aggravated left knee tendinopothy » https://t.co/dpUoJMgnLy
No replacement will be added to the roster. pic.twitter.com/5ihoJOlG4B
McKennie’s injury history with the national team
This will be the seventh time that the 25-year-old midfielder has missed a game with the USMNT with his last absences coinciding with the run in of the World Cup qualifiers.
Vinícius out until 2024
A metatarsal fracture left McKennie missing matches against Panama, Mexico and Costa Rica, where Gregg Berhalter’s team secured a win, draw and loss without the Serie A star.
On 27 March, McKennie was also unable to appear in the United States’ game against El Salvador match due to a knee injury. The midfielder was also unable to play against Bosnia, Paraguay and Italy back in 2018.