With a month until the World Cup kicks off, this was not the week that U.S. men's national team fans would have hoped for.
No less than four Americans Abroad went down with injuries during the past week. There is nothing severe among the group but it appears that at best, the players will enter the World Cup with a shortage of recent minutes.
But for one player at least, their World Cup dream looks like it's already over.
This week's Five will take a look at an unexpected late injury crisis for the USMNT.
Johnny Cardoso's World Cup dream likely over
We'll kick off with Johnny Cardoso – not because he is the most important player injured this week, but because he seems the most likely to miss the World Cup.
The Atlético Madrid midfieldersuffered a "high-grade" right ankle sprainduring training this week, which could spell the end of his hopes for Mauricio Pochettino's squad. Atléticoannouncedon Monday that Cardoso will undergo surgery.
Even low-grade sprains can sideline players for multiple weeks and for someone like Cardoso, who would have been on the roster bubble even if healthy, a high-grade sprain and surgery is probably too much to recover from.
Cardoso has been a hugely frustrating player from a USMNT perspective. At the club level the 24-year-old has been one of the standout holding midfielders in La Liga, but for the U.S. he's been injury-prone and inconsistent. His World Cup dream might now have to wait until 2030.
Christian Pulisic's year goes from bad to worse
Plenty has gone wrong for Christian Pulisic in the past few months, but he had at least managed to stay relatively healthy amid a huge dip in form.
But that is no longer the case afterPulisic was forced to missAC Milan's 3-2 defeat to Atalanta on Sunday with a glute muscle injury. Milan is suffering a late-season tailspin that has seen the club go from title contender to desperately trying to hold onto a top-four spot.
The early word on the injury is that it isn't severe, but any fitness issue this close to the World Cup is a concern for a player who will likely have to regain form if the U.S. wants to make a run this summer.
Pulisic's drought is becoming an increasingly big story: no USMNT goals since 2024 and none for AC Milan since 2025. Those two droughts are now more likely to be in effect when the World Cup kicks off.
Tim Weah misses Marseille match
Tim Weah has had a solid season at Marseille, starting the bulk of his side's games while toggling between a defensive and attacking role on the wing.
Advertisement
Weah was forced to miss Marseille's 1-0 win over Le Havre on Sunday with a muscle injury, which was unfortunately timed during a campaign in which the 26-year-old has mostly stayed healthy.
Thankfully,per L'Equipe, the injury isn't serious and Marseille is hopeful Weah will be fit for Marseille's season finale on Sunday, May 17.
Weah's spot in the USMNT picture has never been in doubt, though he is on the bubble when it comes to a starting role. Should he be healthy, Weah's pace and versatility will be crucial for the U.S. come this summer.
Tanner Tessmann out for the season
Like Weah, Tanner Tessmann is on the right side of the World Cup roster bubble after a strong campaign in France.
And also like Weah, Tessmann is dealing with a muscle injury at the worst possible time.
The Lyon midfielder's injury appears to be worse than Weah's, as he's already beenruled out for the rest of the regular season.Multiple reports have indicated, however, that Tessmann should be fit in time for the World Cup.
Still, for a player who isn't guaranteed a consistent role at the tournament, suffering any kind of injury now is far from ideal.
Gio Reyna is on the board
We couldn't let the Five conclude without at leastsomegood news, which we found this weekend in Germany.
Gio Reyna would not have hoped that his first goal for Borussia Mönchengladbach wouldn't come until May, but the USMNT midfielder avoided being completely shut out this season by scoring a late consolation in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Augsburg.
It's been yet another frustrating season for the 23-year-old, who has once again failed to stay fit and earn a consistent role with his club.
But Reyna has at least been trending slightly upward of late, earning four consecutive appearances off the bench after failing to see the pitch in five of six league matches.
Reyna's 32-minute outing on Saturday was his longest of 2026. It's modest progress but for a player right on the World Cup roster bubble, any kind of forward momentum could make the difference.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Americans Abroad: USMNT players hit by injury bug
With a month until the World Cup kicks off, this was not the week that U.S. men's national team fans would have hoped for. No ...
