When the United States Men’s National Team takes the field next Friday against Canada, they will do it without their starting goalkeeper. According to a report by Steven Goff of the Washington Post, Fortuna Düsseldorf goalkeeper Zack Steffen was left off the USMNT roster for upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches against Canada and Cuba due to injury.
Details of the injury were not officially reported, but ESPN’s Taylor Twellman indicated that it was knee tendinitis that will keep Steffen off the roster:
Steffen will not be called into the next @USMNT camp due to knee tendinitis....expect the foreign contingent to be named later today. #USMNT
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) November 7, 2019
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter named the contingent of European-based players who will be on the full roster when it is announced on Monday: John Brooks, Tyler Boyd, Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, Alfredo Morales, Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Josh Sargent, and DeAndre Yedlin. Steffen was certainly going to be a part of that contingent but for the injury.
The full USMNT roster will be announced on Monday. It will be then when we learn whether Berhalter will go with the goalkeepers currently training in his pre-camp—Brad Guzan, Sean Johnson, and Matt Turner—or if he will call in another goalkeeper for these two critical matches.
Hit the comments to discuss the news of Zack Steffen missing this month’s matches and who should be the starter in his absence.