Injuries to Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest could prove to be fatal to the USMNT dreams of playing in Qatar
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On February 22, 2022 Juventus played Villarreal in the Champions League round of 16 match which resulted in a draw. The spotlight of the game was not on the fact that the match ended in a draw, but rather what happened in the 81' minute of the game. Weston McKennie, USMNT and Juventus star, fractured his second and third metatarsals in his left foot sidelining him for the rest of the season including the final three games of the USMNT CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches. The injury will keep the midfielder out of play for the next two to three months as the United States looks to find a solid replacement for McKennie. It is a huge loss for the team as McKennie was potentially playing the best soccer of his career for both club and country at the moment. McKennie's strengths include his finishing ability, trailing into the box from midfield, and his ability to find the ball on set pieces. The USMNT will miss him dearly and look for someone to fill his boots in their next three matches.
In addition to the loss of star midfielder Weston Mckennie, the United States Men's National team will also most likely be without up and coming Right Back Sergiño Dest. On March 18, 2022 Barcelona played and beat Galatasaray 2-1 to make it into the final eight of the Europa League. As this was a great team win for Barcelona, it came at a huge cost to F.C. Barcelona and the USMNT as Sergiño Dest was injured in the 56' minute of the match. According to Diario Sport, Barcelona released a statement revealing that Dest suffered an injury to the femoral bicep in his left thigh. Although the club has not given a solid time frame for Dest's return, the earliest return is considered to be three weeks. The USMNT next match is in 3 days leaving Americans to believe he will most likely be unavailable for the match against Mexico as well as the final two matches taking place on the 28th and 31st of March. The right back was a crucial piece the United States defense that will already be missing help from Weston McKennie. The USMNT will have to rally and put something together for their final three matches.
The United States Men's National soccer team will be without two of their best players for their final three 2022 World Cup Qualifying matches. Although the team is in a fairly safe spot to qualify for the World Cup, there is always a chance that they may not qualify. The USMNT is currently in second place with six wins, three draws, and two losses. They are currently behind first place Canada by 4 points and will face Mexico this Friday who has the same record and amount of points as the USMNT. This next match against Mexico will be crucial to the survival of the United States because if they lose they will be in third place. The United States will play Panama and Costa Rica, fourth and fifth place in the standings, for their final two matches. With Panama being 4 points behind and Costa Rica 5 points behind the United States, both teams look to capitalize on the USMNT recent streak of bad luck. The USMNT's standing in the table seemed fairly stable until four days ago and now many Americans wait on the edge of their seat to see what will happen. The World Cup is an international stage in which Americans have been working towards for years, although each year seemed to be as disappointing as the last. This was the year that many thought the USMNT might make a splash, even if it be a small one, in the World Cup. The USMNT and the country supporting them has been yearning to prove itself to the rest of the world and in this event and can only hope and pray that everything goes as planned. Qatar is waiting to see which four will advance and Americans are hoping to be among the four who punch their ticket.
I believe the United States National Team has a strong chance of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar this year. A huge number of talented players, led by Chelsea star Christian Pulisic and Barcelona winger Sergio Dest, make up the squad. This United States squad has a bright future ahead of them, and I believe they have a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup. They'll get there eventually, and I think they'll get it out of the group stages. Their youthful and raw natural potential, I feel, will enable them to compete with any nation in the world.
ReplyDeleteDest and McKinney are really good youngsters who make up two of the starting, but their squad consists of very talented americans who play in Europe. Tyler Adams will have more of a role with the team in midfield. Yedlin will take Dest's spot at right back until he comes back. Overall, the United States will most likely go through qualification if they continue to play like they have been
ReplyDeleteAfter taking on these losses to their roster, I fear that the USMNT will no longer be able to make it onto the global stage for the 2022 World Cup. Both Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest were critical pieces of the puzzle, both serving diverse–yet equally as critical–roles on either side of the field. Furthermore, their experience in Europe has given them a competitive advantage over some of the weaker links on the American team (players who have one played domestically). What is most troubling about this is that Dest was slowly on the rise for FC Barcelona, as he had just begun to see the field. In this regard, there are layers of damage that have been done: FC Barcelona has lost one of the top young prospects, and the USMNT has lost the face of a leader. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both teams.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not know too much about the MLS, I am very invested in the USMNT and their journey to possibly qualifying for the World Cup. Although both of these injuries hinder their chances, I'm confident the team, led by Christian Pulisic, will be able to qualify. I hope McKennie and Dest will be back in time for the World Cup, so for the time being the USMNT just needs to qualify and then worry about that in the future. I was actually unaware that the team plays tomorrow so I'll be sure to watch that and cheer them on!
ReplyDeleteThese two players are huge losses for the USMNT as they need to be healthy in order to have a good run in the World Cup. The US looks to be as competitive as it has ever been in this years World Cup and they have many young stars to help create a solid World Cup run. Saying that without two of the best players the US has, not having Dest of Mckennie will be a huge loss for the squad, because the US are not very deep. Hopefully they can get healthy and be able to represent the US come World Cup.
ReplyDeleteThough these are. big losses for the US, I think we still have a great chance at qualifying. Hypothetically, even if the US fails to win either of their last two games, Panama would have to win both of their last two in order to move ahead of us. This is extremely unlikely with them facing off against already qualified Canada. Thus the US is likely to finish at mimimim 4th place. This would see them face either New Zealand or the Solomon Islands in June, both of which shouldn't be a problem.
ReplyDeleteThe injuries of Weston Mckennie and Sergino Dest are very crucial for the national team. As these two of two of the three players that play in Europes top five leagues. They represent the most talented members on the national team. It was especially sad to Weston get hurt as I am a huge Juventus fan and he is a huge part of the Italian side. I was actually at the game in Villarreal where he broke his foot.
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