USMNT Injury Crisis

A Few Americans Missed Club Action This Weekend, Fueling a Slight Roster Panic

With the World Cup just over a month away, Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT preparations have been rocked by a wave of injuries to key players, raising serious questions about the squad's fitness heading into the tournament.

The most devastating blow came when Atlético Madrid confirmed that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will require surgery on a high-grade right ankle sprain suffered in training last week. The 24-year-old, who made 30 appearances for the Spanish club this season and was one of La Liga's standout holding midfielders, is almost certain to miss the entire tournament. It is a crushing outcome for a player who had 23 caps to his name and had been part of this cycle, though his USMNT performances had been inconsistent relative to his club form.

The situation surrounding Christian Pulisic is less definitive but equally worrying. The face of the tournament was ruled out of AC Milan's 3-2 defeat to Atalanta on Sunday with a gluteal muscle strain, adding a fitness concern to what has already been a deeply difficult stretch. Pulisic has gone 17 club matches without a goal since the start of the year and has cut a frustrated figure, both at club level and during March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal. The early indication is that the injury isn't severe, but any setback this close to the World Cup raises alarm bells for a player who desperately needs to rediscover his form.

Two further injury concerns emerged over the weekend. Tim Weah missed Marseille's win over Le Havre with a muscle problem, though the injury is reportedly not serious and he could return for the club's season finale. Tanner Tessmann has been shut down for the rest of Lyon's season with a muscle strain, though multiple reports suggest he should be fit before the tournament opens June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles.

With the roster announcement set for May 26 in New York, Pochettino has little time and precious few answers.