Star United States men’s national team midfielder Weston McKennie won’t be available for Monday’s return leg Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal game in Trinidad and Tobago, announced the team. The McKennie injury is due to a knee issue.
Weston McKennie injury
Weston McKennie has departed camp to
recover from an aggravated left knee tendinopothy » https://t.co/dpUoJMgnLyNo replacement will be added to the roster. pic.twitter.com/5ihoJOlG4B— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 18, 2023
The official reasoning given from the USMNT is an aggravated left knee tendinopathy. Tendinopathy is defined as a type of overuse injury which likely means this is a precautionary move from the USMNT.
McKennie went down several times during Thursday’s first leg 3-0 victory vs. Trinidad and Tobago. He stayed down after a hard tackle from Trinidad’s Noah Powder which resulted in a sending off.
Noah Powder is sent off after a second yellow for a foul on Weston McKennie leaving Trinidad and Tobago down to 10
Watch the match live on TNT and Max pic.twitter.com/8Ectf0JmIx— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 17, 2023
It’s unclear if this was the moment that exacerbated the problem in McKennie’s knee.
The decision was made to not bring in a replacement for McKennie.
Head coach Gregg Berhalter will choose from the likes of Luca de la Torre and Lennard Maloney to fill McKennie’s role in the starting XI.
The USMNT will be without McKennie, his fellow Juventus teammate Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic for Monday’s game. All the U.S. need in order to advance to the Nations League semifinals and book a spot in the 2024 Copa América is to not lose by three goals on Monday.
Juventus will be keeping a close eye on McKennie’s health as the American midfielder has become a go-to starter for the Serie A side.
Juventus’ next game is a top of the table clash vs. Inter Milan on Sunday.
