The coach of the United States national team, Gregg Berhalter, sent the midfielder Weston McKennie back to Juventus before Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying game against Honduras, the United States Soccer Federation announced Monday.
The decision comes after McKennie was ruled out of Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Canada in qualifying for the World Cup. The player later posted on Instagram that his suspension was due to violating the team’s COVID-19 protocols.
After the game, Berhalter said it “remains to be seen” if McKennie would be available for the Honduras game. On Monday the decision was made to extend the punishment.
“Weston will return to Italy and will not be available for the game against Honduras due to a violation of team policies,” Berhalter said in a statement. “There are high expectations for those who are part of the United States Men’s National Team and to be successful it is important that everyone in the group is held accountable.”
The San Jose Earthquakes midfielder, Jackson yueill, has been called to take McKennie’s place. It was also announced that the Barcelona defender, Sergino Dest, has been ruled out of the game against Honduras after spraining an ankle against Canada.
With the goalkeeper Zack steffen positive for COVID-19 and Giovanni reyna With a hamstring strain in the 0-0 draw against El Salvador, the United States will have 23 players available for selection on Wednesday. Steffen’s spot on the list was filled by the New York City FC goalkeeper, Sean Johnson.
McKennie’s absence will be deeply felt, but Berhalter did not hesitate to impose more discipline on the Juventus midfielder following his violation of team protocol.
It is not the first time that McKennie behaves in this way. In April, he was suspended by then-Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo after it was discovered that he had organized a party that included his Juventus teammates, Paulo dybala and Arthur. He was also fined by the police.
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