Weston McKennie and Giovanni Reyna suffer injuries prior to March USMNT World Cup Qualifiers

With the three toughest matches ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualification cycle, the US Men’s National Team is set to be without arguably its best player with Weston McKennie suffering a broken foot. CBS Sports reported that McKennie, who came off in the 81st minute of the Juventus Champions League match against Villarreal, has a broken foot. Sports Illustrated noted that the midfielder will miss between 8-12 weeks with the injury.

This will clearly leave a gaping hole in not only midfield but overall attitude and competitive spirit. Since he was sent back to Italy early for violating Covid isolation rules with the team last year, McKennie has been a man possessed. His performances with Juventus and the USMNT have made him vital to both sides. Replacing him will not be easy and the options are either underwhelming, with Sebastian Lletget or Christian Roldan possibly stepping in, or unproven, as Luca de la Torre is another option.

While this is obviously a huge blow to the team, some good news was reported when it was noted that Giovanni Reyna’s injury will only seem him out for a few weeks.

Reyna came off of the field in tears over the weekend having just returned from a long term injury earlier this season. This will be welcome news as the American attack has never really gotten off of the ground for the entire qualification cycle, but it’s yet to be seen how this most recent injury could potentially limit his minutes or impact his fitness by the end of March.