NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Players walked off the field dejected. Nervous American fans are in an uproar.
No, this wasn’t four years ago. This is the here and now for the U.S. soccer team, which has just two points after its first two World Cup qualifiers, three injured regulars and a team leader sent home for violating COVID-19 protocols.
A 1-1 draw at home against Canada, which last reached soccer’s showcase in 1986, caused concern and ratched pressure. Instead of a revival under coach Gregg Berhalter, the Americans are sputtering heading into Wednesday night’s game at Honduras, their third in a seven-day span. The U.S. hasn’t won a qualifier since 2013 in Central America, where it has one win and three draws in its last eight matches.
“The hole’s starting to get a little deeper,” former American defender Marcelo Balboa, now a commentator for Univision, said Monday. “It puts more emphasis on the away game in Honduras, which we know, the grass will be thick. It’ll be hot. It’ll be humid. The fans will weigh — the buzzing sound for three hours leading up to the game surrounding the stadium.”
Defender Sergiño Dest (sprained ankle), goalkeeper Zack Steffen (back spasms, positive COVID test) and midfielder Gio Reyna (strained hamstring) won’t make the trip. Jordan Morris, Paul Arriola and Tim Weah already were hurt before the opener.
Midfielder Weston McKennie, a member of the team’s six-man leadership council, was told to return to Italy by Berhalter after violating team COVID-19 protocols. McKennie, among the top American players, was kept off Sunday’s game-day roster by Berhalter for the rules violation. Breaking COVID-19 protocols by hosting a party caused him to be dropped by Juventus for its Derby della Mole against Torino in April.