My initial reaction to the news that the 2022 World Cup was being played in the winter was a mix of outrage and annoyance. Fast forward to present day and I along with every other USMNT fan couldn’t be happier that Qatar is hosting a winter tournament. A growing USMNT injury list is the reason.
USMNT Injury List (April 2022)
- Weston McKennie (foot)
- Sergiño Dest (hamstring)
- Gio Reyna (hamstring)
- Chris Richards (thigh)
- Matt Turner (foot)
- Daryl Dike (knee)
- Josh Sargent (ankle)
Weston McKennie
The best American player during World Cup qualifying has been sidelined for over two months now with a foot fracture he suffered vs. Villarreal in February.
Weston McKennie came off w/ an ankle injury suffered during this rough challenge from Pervis Estupinan.
Would expect him to miss a few matches during Juve’s busy upcoming schedule. Here’s hoping he can recover in time for the big March #USMNT qualifiers, which are a month away. pic.twitter.com/IKXdRmRWqi— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) February 22, 2022
It was initially thought that McKennie would be out for the rest of season, however there’s a slim chance he features for Juventus in the final games including the Copa Italia final on May 11.
This greatly increases the chances of McKennie being available for the USMNT in the June international window.
Sergiño Dest
Dest is expected to be out for four to six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury during a LaLiga game on April 24. This is the second time this season that Dest has had a hamstring issue as he missed three games with Barcelona and three USMNT World Cup qualifiers at the end of March.
Injury update!
Tests carried out on the first team player Sergiño Dest have confirmed that the player has injured the semitendinosus muscle in his right hamstring. The player is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return. pic.twitter.com/CyMuvETyJ6— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 25, 2022
Dest making any appearances for the U.S. in June is doubtful.
Gio Reyna
The injury bug has an addiction to Reyna and anytime that bug wants to go away would be fantastic. Reyna’s season was completely derailed with a recurring hamstring injury that has seen him miss over 30 games for club and country.
On April 8 Reyna reinjured the hamstring again and is expected to be unavailable until July.
Dortmund announce that Gio Reyna will miss the rest of the season after picking up an apparent hamstring injury on Friday pic.twitter.com/Zszb9bhwHr
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 10, 2022
Chris Richards
Richards hasn’t seen the field with the USMNT since January during the 2-0 defeat in Canada where he suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for two months.
Richards returned to action with Hoffenheim in April, however his comeback was short lived. The 22-year-old played in three games until he hurt his right thigh. Hoffenheim said he’s set for “a long spell on the sidelines.”
He will miss Hoffenheim’s remaining games and isn’t expected to play in the USMNT June friendly vs. Morocco or Concacaf Nations League games.
NEW: Hoffenheim have announced that #USMNT defender Chris Richards will miss the rest of the season due to a muscular & tendon injury in his right thigh. Richards in the club‘s words is out “long term.”
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) April 21, 2022
Matt Turner
The starting goalkeeper gig for the USMNT is in its greatest peril since Tim Howard left. Turner and Zack Steffen competed for the role in World Cup qualifying, but Turner has yet to play a single game with the New England Revolution this season.
Turner is recovering from a hairline fracture in his right foot that he suffered in preseason training. Rumors had spread online that frostbite from that freezing World Cup qualifier in Minnesota was the reason for his absence, but he has cleared up those rumors.
Update for you all: pic.twitter.com/1f2sWCLb12
— Matt Turner (@headdturnerr) April 2, 2022
His expected return date is unknown and with a move to Arsenal in the cards for summer it’s unclear when we’ll see Turner starting in goal again.
Daryl Dike
Dike hasn’t played in an USMNT uniform since last summer’s Gold Cup, but with the ongoing striker situation (or lack of a solid striker situation) on the team I felt like he was worth including. There was a decent amount of hype around the Oklahoman when he made his transfer to West Brom, but he would only play two games before his season came to an end.
A hamstring injury in January paired with a knee injury in April has seen him sidelined for months.
Dike isn’t expected to play anymore of the season with West Brom and is a longshot to be included in any USMNT games this summer.
Josh Sargent
Sargent is recovering from an ankle injury and his return date is unknown. If the Norwich forward can’t return this season, then he likely played his last Premier League game for some time as the Canaries look destined for relegation.
Sargent has fallen off Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT radar as he hasn’t made an appearance for the national team since Sept. 8, 2021. The battle for the starting No. 9 role is wide open and at this rate no player is out of contention.
