Antonee Robinson is one of three players to be withdrawn from the U.S. men’s national team roster for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League finals through injury, U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Fulham full-back is joined by Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso, 23, and Celtic defender Auston Trusty, 26, in missing Thursday’s semifinal against Panama.
The three players replacing them are Houston Dynamo midfielder Jack McGlynn, Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten and Chicago Fire midfielder Brian Gutierrez. They all earned their U.S. debuts during the most recent January camp and off-FIFA-calendar matches against Venezuela and Costa Rica.
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, speaking on Tuesday after the trio’s departures were confirmed, said Robinson was suffering from an undisclosed medical issue.
Robinson, in particular, will be a huge miss for Pochettino, as he is having a standout season for Fulham in the Premier League, and the U.S. depth behind him at the position is rather light. He has 10 assists in 20 matches, while Fulham sits eighth after 29 matches.
The U.S. faces Panama at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday night with Mexico and Canada playing in the other semifinal. The winners will play in the final (and the losers will play in a third-place match) on Sunday night.
The U.S. has won each of the three iterations of the Concacaf Nations League to date, with Robinson being part of the squad each time.
(Top photo: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
