USMNT star Weston McKennie shattered the second and third metatarsals in his left foot during Tuesday’s match between Juventus and Villrreal.
Weston McKennie suffered a significant injury in the first leg of the round of 16 encounter against Villarreal on Tuesday night, which is bad news for Juventus and the United States men’s national team. The USMNT midfielder’s left second and third metatarsals were fractured, according to several reports.
We’ve seen Weston McKennie play through injuries before, despite his still-relatively short time at Juventus. As a result, his failure to rise after a couple of seconds on the Estadio de la Ceramica grass after being tackled in the second half on Tuesday night was very evident.
McKennie suffered a broken second and third metatarsal in his left foot as a result of a second-half tackle by Villarreal’s Pervis Estupián, according to reports from Sky Sport Italia, Romeo Agresti of Goal Italia, and others in the Italian media.
McKennie attempted to shuffle off the field a minute after the whistle was sounded, but he was unable to do so, requiring assistance around the Villarreal goal and back to the Juventus bench due to his inability to put any weight on his left foot. He was then reportedly taken to a local hospital for X-rays, which revealed two broken bones in his left foot.
Bad week for the USMNT
The game was poised at 1-1 when Estupinan slide tackled Weston McKennie in the 80th minute, and although winning the ball, the Villarreal player smacked the American on the left foot. The medical team stepped in to check on the USMNT player, who was down in pain and cradling his ankle.
McKennie stood up and began limping a minute later, but Juventus didn’t take any chances and replaced him with Denis Zakaria.
The seriousness of McKennie’s injury has not been confirmed by Juventus, but he could be out for eight to twelve weeks. As a result, he will miss the US men’s national team’s final three World Cup qualifying games in CONCACAF next month. For the time being, the 23-year-old will have to wear a boot until his foot heals completely.
The USMNT has had a particularly awful week, with the announcement two days ago that Gio Reyna has suffered an injury that will keep him out for at least two weeks.
With McKennie’s injury, the squad will have to fill a void in the lineup of a player who has been crucial for the US during the round-robin tournament, which resumes on March 24.
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[…] The United States was assigned to Group B as the third place finisher. England, Iran, and either Scotland, Wales, or Ukraine are the other three teams in its group, depending on the outcome of their European playoff before of the World Cup. In its first game, the USMNT will face the winner of that playoff. […]