Injuries mount for USMNT as Tanner Tessmann sidelined with World Cup approaching

Tessmann has made 41 appearances across all competitions for Lyon this season -Credit:Lilou Cassin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

“Tanner has a muscle strain; he won’t play until the end of the season,” the former AC Milan boss said.

This isn’t inherently as dramatic as it may seem, given that Lyon has just two games remaining this season. Currently third in Ligue 1, seven points adrift of RC Lens in second and two above Lille in fourth, Lyon is set for a trip to 10th-placed Toulouse on Saturday before ending the campaign at home with a visit from Lens.

Unfortunately, the extent of Tessmann’s muscle injury and a timeline for his recovery were not given. As such, predicting whether or not this throws his participation in this summer’s World Cup, which will largely be held in the U.S. as well as in Mexico and Canada, is currently impossible.

Regardless of how long Tessmann will be sidelined, this is far from the ideal preparation for a player who could reasonably be expected to have been a major part of Pochettino’s plans, given that he has played in each of the USMNT’s last six games - three of which he started.

What makes this situation worse is that fellow defensive midfielder, Johnny Cardoso of Atletico Madrid, is now also sidelined for the remainder of the La Liga season. On Thursday, the team released a statement which read, “Johnny Cardoso suffered a high-grade sprain in his right ankle.

“He will undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation sessions in the gym, and the progress of his recovery will determine his return to competition. We wish you a speedy recovery, Johnny. You'll come back stronger.”

This comes off the back of a largely injury-mired debut season with Atleti, following his $35 million transfer from Real Betis last summer.

What’s more, the USMNT is also set to be without forward Patrick Agyemang, who suffered a serious Achilles injury playing for Derby County in early April, while Cesena goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann broke his neck during a Serie B game in the middle of last month.

With question marks now surrounding both Tessmann and Cardoso, just over three weeks away from the USMNT’s first of two pre-World Cup friendlies - against Senegal and Germany - Pochettino may need to turn to some of his alternative options.

This may mean the likes of Sebastian Berhalter of the Vancouver Whitecaps or Cristian Roldan of the Seattle Sounders might need to step up, or perhaps Aidan Morris of EFL Championship promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough.