United States men’s national team midfielder Weston McKennie is dealing with a quadriceps injury that could put his participation in next month’s World Cup opener in jeopardy.
McKennie, who is an integral part of the USMNT core with forward Christian Pulisic and defender Sergino Dest, left at halftime of Juventus‘ 1-0 win at Lecce in Serie A on Saturday and did not return.
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While the injury was given a timetable of 15 days for a return, a setback in his recovery could limit his participation for the Nov. 21 World Cup opener against Wales in Qatar. The USMNT is returning to the World Cup after it did not qualify in 2018.
The group stage also has the USMNT scheduled to play England and Iran, with the top two teams in the group advancing to the knockout stage.
Other injury concerns include midfielder Luca de la Torre (hamstring) and goalkeeper Matt Turner (groin). Midfielder Tyler Adams had been dealing with an undisclosed injury but returned Saturday as Leeds United earned a 2-1 victory over Liverpool.
Others recently dealing with nagging injuries include Gio Reyna (hamstring), Antonee Robinson (ankle), Timothy Weah (ankle), Yunus Musah (groin) and Zack Steffen (knee).
McKennie has been a regular presence for Juventus this season, playing in 11 Serie A matches and five Champions League games, scoring three goals across both competitions.
McKennie’s absence also mean Juventus prepares to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday without 12 players through injury. Teenage winger Samuel Iling-Junior injured his ankle on Saturday and will be out for around three weeks.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.