Tim Weah 'has a very bad hamstring tear' says USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter
WHIPPANY, N.J. — United States men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter provided an update Monday on four injured players who were unable to join the 26-man squad preparing for Friday’s high-profile friendly match against Mexico, and the prognosis for young striker Tim Weah sounded far from encouraging.
“Weah has a very bad hamstring tear,” Berhalter told reporters after his most of his team — several players were still in transit following matches with their clubs on Sunday — went through a light Labor Day workout at the New York Red Bulls training facility. “He’s getting rehab on that now.”
The 19-year-old Weah has played in eight games for the USMNT, scoring once, but all of those appearances came in 2018 under interim manager Dave Sarachan. Berhalter has yet to call up the New York City native, who split last season between Paris Saint-Germain and Scottish champ Celtic.
But Weah was in line for a look after playing well for the U.S. at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, then moving from PSG to French runner-up Lille, where he featured in the club’s first two Ligue 1 matches this season.
Berhalter confirmed that had Weah not gotten hurt, he would’ve received a senior team invite this month. Werder Bremen’s Josh Sargent — another 19-year-old forward — was summoned by Berhalter this month after being left off the roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup earlier this summer.
“We would’ve given him a look in this camp,” Berhalter said of Weah.“He’s playing for Lille, doing a good job,”
Injuries also prevented three roster locks from being selected for U.S. duty during this month’s international window, which also includes another exhibition next week against Uruguay: midfielder Tyler Adams and defenders Matt Miazga and DeAndre Yedlin.
Yedlin has been slow to recover from the groin surgery he underwent in May; the Newcastle United fullback did not dress for his club’s first four games of the Premier League season. A groin issue has also rendered Adams unavailable for Champions League-bound RB Leipzig’s three Bundesliga matches so far. Meantime, Miazga picked up a hamstring injury last month playing for English second-tier side Reading, where he’s on a season-long loan from EPL titan Chelsea.
“Miazga has the same thing” as Weah but “not as severe,” Berhalter said. “Adams is getting back in, Yedlin is getting back into training. So four players that would normally be at least looking to be involved.”
Asked how optimistic he is that one or more of the injured foursome would be healthy in time to be considered for CONCACAF Nations League matches in October and November, Berhalter was noncommittal.
“I’m not worried about that right now,” he said. “I’m worried about this window.”
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