The U.S. national team has suffered through a rash of injuries to regular players over the past six months, but none had truly threatened a player's availability at the 2022 World Cup in November.
That changed on May 7 after Miles Robinson went down for Atlanta United in a Major League Soccer regular season match. He slapped the ground repeatedly and his and fans' worst fears were later realized.
A non-contact injury on a turf field resulted in the worst possible outcome, as it was confirmed by Atlanta United two days later that Robinson had suffered a torn Achilles, requiring immediate surgery and leaving Robinson's World Cup hopes in tatters.
The 25-year-old Syracuse product had established himself as a first-choice center back in Gregg Berhalter's regular lineup throughout World Cup qualifying, and seemed positioned to fill the same role at the World Cup in Qatar. Now, with a lengthy recovery process ahead, it's tough to see him being an option in the tournament. It's a cruel blow for Robinson, and leaves Berhalter to pick up the pieces within the squad.
I’m sick to my stomach for Miles Robinson. Another Achilles for @ATLUTD is mind blowing. #UNITEandConquer #USMNT pic.twitter.com/UklMtjRave
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) May 7, 2022
MORE: Full USMNT injury tracker, with latest updates
How long will Miles Robinson be out?
The injury timetable for an Achilles recovery is tough to answer. Achilles injuries are not like ACL tears, where a timetable can be established and recoveries are usually kept to a schedule. The extent of the tear, the surgical process, and the type of sport can all impact the recovery process.
🚨 Sources tell CBS Sports that USMNT defender Miles Robinson will undergo surgery today. It is indeed a torn Achilles.
— Roger Gonzalez (@RGonzalezCBS) May 9, 2022
The average recovery time for a return to sport can be anywhere from four to 12 months, with some cases taking longer, with nine- to 12-month injury timelines not uncommon. The bottom line is that it's a devastating injury that can leave professional athletes with not only a difficult recovery, but also questionable prospects of recovering to their previous level of play.
At Chelsea in the spring of 2019, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi both tore their Achilles within a month of each other. Their recovery processes and timelines for return were extremely different and do well to pose a best-case and worst-case scenario for Miles Robinson.
Best-case scenario
Callum Hudson-Odoi went down on April 22, 2019 with a torn Achilles. He was injured in the 41st minute of a Premier League match against Burnley.
"I was confused because I thought it was just a bit of cramp," Hudson-Odoi told the Chelsea official website later of his injury, "but as I tried to come back on the pitch my leg was just flopping around so I knew then that I’d done something."
Hudson-Odoi's admission that he was not immediately aware he had suffered a serious injury could be a clue to how his recovery process progressed so smoothly and quickly. Recovering through the summer offseason, Hudson-Odoi was available by September, making a pair of recovery appearances for the reserve team before returning to the field on Sept. 28, playing 27 minutes in a Premier League match against Brighton. He would be named in the Chelsea starting lineup the following weekend.
Another example of a quick recovery comes from a different sport. The Los Angeles Rams of the NFL brought running back Cam Akers back from his 2021 preseason torn Achilles in the playoffs that same year, which shocked the league and fans.
Akers, who went down on July 20, 2021, was activated off Injured Reserve in late December and played sparingly in the final week of the regular season. He would end up with double-digit carries in each of the four playoff games as the Rams won the 2021 Super Bowl.
Worst-case scenario
Ruben Loftus-Cheek's recovery was a completely different story. Tearing his Achilles in an end-of-season charity match on the turf at Boston' Gillette Stadium, the 23-year-old faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
"Maybe it got to be a bad thing because Cal was progressing really well and I wanted to be right behind him and doing the same things, but sometimes it doesn’t work like that," Loftus-Cheek also said to the Chelsea official website.
"Mine took a bit longer and I had to be patient. I came out quite quick but then the transition from walking to running just took a bit longer."
The Chelsea midfielder missed the entire first half of the following season, finally returning in mid-February of 2020. Still, he wasn't himself, seeing just over 200 minutes the rest of the Premier League campaign. He eventually went on loan to Fulham in 2020-21 to help regain his full fitness.
"I came back from injury but didn’t feel myself, didn’t feel powerful, wasn’t running past people and felt like I lost a lot of muscle and power," Loftus-Cheek said. "So for me, mentally, I just wanted to go somewhere where I could play a lot and get that feel and confidence back after such a long time out with such a bad injury.
"I felt like I had to get away and play as much football as possible, and I got that [at Fulham]."
Another recent example is Roma fullback Leonardo Spinazzola, who tore his Achilles on international duty with Italy in the Euro 2021 tournament. The 29-year-old was injured in early July 2021 during the COVID-postponed competition, and missed almost the exact same amount of time as Loftus-Cheek — 278 days, two fewer than the Chelsea midfielder.
Spinazzola finally returned to Roma training in early April (nine months later) and has been a bench option for Roma since, but still has yet to make his return to competitive action.
Will Miles Robinson be available for World Cup 2022?
While there remains hope that Robinson's recovery will see him back for November's marquee tournament, it's a highly unlikely scenario.
Even if Robinson returns to full training, he will have spent over six months on the sidelines and would need to build up full match fitness, a long process that could see him passed over for selection by Gregg Berhalter, even if fit.
The first match for the United States in the 2022 World Cup takes place on November 21, a full 199 days after Robinson was injured and 197 days after his surgery. While that recovery is within the realm of possibility, he would almost surely return to full health during the MLS offseason, which would allow no chance for him to get minutes on the field before the tournament, and it would be a risky selection for Berhalter to pick Robinson without having played a single competitive minute in over six months.
USMNT defenders at World Cup 2022
At this point, Gregg Berhalter will probably progress as if Robinson will miss the 2022 World Cup, unless the prognosis changes in the coming months.
Robinson, 25 years old in March 2022, will be difficult to replace in the squad. He has been a regular since the 2021 Gold Cup, solidifying himself as a first-choice center back alongside Walker Zimmerman through World Cup qualification. Robinson started 11 of the 14 World Cup qualifying matches, and the U.S. won just one of the three matches in which he did not play.
Unfortunately, the depth behind him isn't exactly convincing. Unless things change between now and late November, Zimmerman will almost certainly be a starter for the United States, currently one of the first names on Berhalter's team sheet. The man alongside him, however, will remain a big question mark. Here are some of the options:
Aaron Long
Ironically, the likely top choice to replace Miles Robinson is a 29-year-old defender who himself missed almost all of World Cup qualifying with a torn Achilles.
Aaron Long only saw two substitute appearances towards the end of the qualification cycle, having returned to action this past winter after missing the entire 2021 MLS season.
Long is an experienced national team veteran with 23 caps of his own, but after his injury, he became an afterthought for many USMNT fans. Long was a key part of the 2019 Gold Cup run to the final, and he helped the U.S. in the early part of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League competition in late 2019. With his experience and his stout play early in the MLS season for the Red Bulls, Long has to be among the candidates to take over for Robinson.
Chris Richards & Mark McKenzie
Another injury-stricken defender who is in the mix to replace Robinson is Chris Richards, whose loan to Hoffenheim was cut short on multiple occasions due to medical issues.
Still just 22 years old, Richards hasn't been able to break into the Bayern Munich first team but remains very much in the club's plans for the future. Richards hasn't played terribly convincingly in his short USMNT tenure, but clearly he's in the forefront of Berhalter's mind, earning playing time in World Cup qualifying before a broken foot saw him sidelined.
Another youngster in Mark McKenzie could be an option as well. Like Richards, McKenzie's short stint with the USMNT has been slightly unconvincing, but the 23-year-old Wake Forest product has seen solid time with Genk this season both domestically and in the Europa League.
John Brooks & Tim Ream
USMNT fans have been clamoring for a return for John Brooks, the 29-year-old center back who will be leaving Wolfsburg this summer at the expiration of his contract.
MORE: Why John Brooks wasn't called in to the USMNT in March
Brooks will no doubt be on Berhalter's watch list, but he was downright putrid this season for the German side and was passed over on multiple occasions by the USA head coach. It's unlikely that this new shakeup changes Berhalter's mind immediately, but if Brooks starts well with his new club, it could see him return to the fold.
Another veteran who was phased out of the USMNT squad this World Cup qualifying cycle was Tim Ream. The 34-year-old had a fantastic season with Fulham, a regular in the side as the club won the Championship. Still, Ream has shown signs of aging the past few years, and while he remains a solid veteran option, he has a clear ceiling, and Berhalter may not wish to go back to the well with other younger options available.
Erik Palmer-Brown, James Sands, Cameron Carter-Vickers & Matt Miazga
These are the fringe options for Berhalter. All three are 26 years old or younger, and both Palmer-Brown and Sands have been called in recently.
Erik Palmer-Brown has established himself as a starting option for Ligue 1 side Troyes, and the club has done enough to solidify its top flight status for next season. The 24-year-old is very much on Berhalter's radar, earning minutes against Mexico in March and remaining a bench option amid a number of other injuries. With the ability to play full-back, his flexibility could be a boost as Berhalter looks to build his World Cup squad. Still, he is inexperienced and doesn't have much pedigree to put forward.
Sands, like Palmer-Brown, is a versatile option playing significant minutes for a big European club. While the young Rangers defender has been utilized at fullback by both club and country, he's naturally a center back and has also been employed in a three-man backline. At just 21 years old, Sands is an option should Berhalter wish to get young prospects some World Cup experience, but don't expect him to get many minutes.
Cameron Carter-Vickers has quietly built his stock back up with a very solid season as a regular for Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, making 28 league appearances and likely to end up with over 4,000 minutes across all competitions by season's end. He's been out of the national team fold for over three years, but still just 24 years old, he could be given another chance if Berhalter thinks he's earned it. It's hard to argue that he hasn't.
Finally, Miazga seems the least likely of the bunch. Still officially a Chelsea player, each successive loan spell has seen him fall further out of favor. His season at La Liga side Alaves has gone horribly, seeing under 1,000 league minutes and not appearing in a match since his 90 minutes against Real Madrid in mid-February. His USMNT days are likely over.
