Weston McKennie injury update: Juventus, USMNT mid out for club season with broken foot, will miss World Cup qualifiers

Kyle Bonn

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Weston McKennie injury update: Juventus, USMNT mid out for club season with broken foot, will miss World Cup qualifiers image

Juventus and the USMNT were both dealt a huge blow as Weston McKennie went down with a serious injury, now set to miss the rest of the club season.

While it was initially thought McKennie would be out two months and have a chance to return, Juve manager Massimilano Allegri confirmed that McKennie will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fracture to his second and third metatarsal bones of his left foot.

McKennie was injured in the first leg of Juventus's Champions League Round of 16 match against Villarreal, withdrawn late after a hard tackle by Villarreal's Pervis Estupinan which appeared to catch the midfielder's left foot and twist it in an awkward manner. The American international was unable to put much weight on the foot, helped off the field with significant assistance from the Juventus medical staff.

Allegri confirmed after the match that McKennie was sent for X-rays and that he was hoping for the best, but the recent news in early March confirmed a worst-case scenario for the 23-year-old.

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Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier was recently confirmed to have suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his foot, and the timetable for his comeback represents a race for Trippier to return by the end of the season in May.

Injury halts McKennie's steady rise in 2021-22

McKennie has become a key fixture in midfield for Juventus, developing into a Champions League level talent in Italy since his move there from Schalke in September of 2020.

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In the 31 matches that McKennie has been fit and available for selection, he has appeared in 28 of them, starting 23 times and coming off the bench another five. He has scored four goals, three coming in Serie A play.

Furthermore, McKennie has become one of the most valuable assets at Gregg Berhalter's disposal at the international level, proving nearly indispensable on the field for the USMNT. His play in the last international break was among the best of any American across the three matches in late January and early February.

MORE: Gio Reyna injured again, limps off in tears

A potential long-term injury to McKennie would serve as a double blow for the USMNT, that also saw winger Gio Reyna limp off in tears in his first start for Borussia Dortmund since August.

Reyna has struggled with a hamstring injury since suffering the injury on international duty in early September and has been unable to complete a return to the field on numerous attempts. The good news for him is that Borussia Dortmund report that the injury is not serious and he should be back on the training field inside two weeks.

The USMNT plays its final three CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in late March, with a spot in the 2022 World Cup yet to be secured.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.