John Brooks suffering from “muscle problems,” could miss Schalke match

John Brooks has picked up another nagging injury according to his club, Hertha Berlin.

After missing the United States men’s national team’s most recent World Cup qualifiers with injury, Brooks has apparently picked up what is being described as “muscle problems” by his manager, Pal Dardai. This is presumably the same back issue that kept him out of international duty.

Dardai couldn’t give a timetable on the recovery process for the U.S. international. However, the concern only seems to be for this weekend’s home league match against Schalke instead of long term.

"Muscle problems are always difficult," The Hertha Berlin coach told Kicker, "it is closely related to the game."

Brooks was able to shake off the injury enough to play 90 minutes in last weekend’s 2-0 victory away to Ingolstadt. Hopefully this is just a precaution and he’ll be back very soon.

However, it’s concerning that Brooks is continuously picking up nagging injuries. This summer was the first time in his career he was able to enjoy a full spell with the national team injury-free and we were able to see just how big of an impact he can have.

The USMNT will undoubtedly need him at his absolute best come November when the Hex kicks off against the two highest ranked teams in CONCACAF. If they are to get the Hex off to a good start, Brooks will be a big part of that. Hopefully he’s healed up and ready to go by then.

Are you concerned about Brooks’ availability for the beginning of the Hex?