USMNT faces midfield depth concerns as Tanner Tessmann suffers muscle strain

TL;DR

Tanner Tessmann has suffered a muscle strain, raising concerns over USMNT's midfield depth ahead of the World Cup. His club season with Lyon is over, but there are no immediate worries about his World Cup chances.

Key points

Tanner Tessmann suffered a muscle strain.
His club season with Lyon is over.
Concerns about his World Cup chances exist but are not immediate.
Johnny Cardoso is also injured with a high-grade ankle sprain.
USMNT World Cup roster announcement is in more than two weeks.

Mentioned in this story

LyonUSMNTMexicoCanada

Tanner TessmannJohnny Cardoso

United States manager Mauricio Pochettino may be re-evaluating his midfield depth options, with another Europe-based U.S. international's club season over.

Tanner Tessmann suffered a muscle strain with his club, Lyon, that manager Paulo Fonseca indicated will keep him out of a Sunday May 10 matchup with Toulouse and the season finale against Lens.

It wasn't immediately clear if the injury will put his World Cup chances in jeopardy, with more than two weeks until Pochettino reveals his roster for the tournament taking place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada - though The Athletic reported there isn't concern over Tessmann's status for the tournament.

Tessmann, an Alabama native who is a product of the FC Dallas academy system, played in 41 matches for Lyon across all competitions in the 2025-26 season, deputizing at center back in addition to playing his usual position as a defensive midfielder. He started the United States' March friendly against Belgium, a 5-2 loss, before coming on at halftime of a 2-0 loss to Portugal.

News of his muscle problem comes at an unwelcome time for the U.S. Atlético Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso left training earlier this week with a high grade ankle sprain that also puts his status for the summer showpiece in doubt.