As Gregg Berhalter prepared to announce his U.S. men’s national soccer team roster Thursday for the last three World Cup qualifiers, one of his most important players, Sergiño Dest, was being helped off a field in Istanbul with an apparent hamstring injury.
This is the nature of the business for a national team coach, who monitors players near and far between training camps and must adjust when injuries arise. Dest’s setback, though, could not have come at a worse time.
One week before the closing stretch of qualifiers, the FC Barcelona right back had to leave a UEFA Europa League match against Galatasaray early in the second half.