USMNT watch: How are American stars faring abroad before World Cup?

Injuries in midfield

Jedi may be back, but two other key USMNT players—Bournemouth's Tyler Adams and Atletico Madrid's Johnny Cardoso—are facing stints in the treatment room.

Adams, mere days after winning the Premier League's Goal of the Month award for his screamer against Sunderland, suffered an injury to his left knee on Monday, Dec. 15. It's still too early to judge the severity of his knock, but he left the field in extreme pain—and that's tough to see for a player who was just getting into his groove.

Cardoso's status, meanwhile, is known: he suffered a left knee contusion on Dec. 2, mere minutes into his first Atletico start in weeks. It was yet another injury indignity for a player who's suffered far too many in 2025.

An unlikely Championship hero

The USMNT has two well-known strikers in the English Championship: Norwich City's Josh Sargent and Coventry City's Haji Wright. The two spent much of 2025 trading blows in the battle to join Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi as the USMNT's main forward. (Wright won out, and rightfully so.)

But could there be a third American making inroads from the Championship? Derby County's Patrick Agyemang certainly hopes so. The Connecticut-born, ex-Charlotte striker netted a key brace against Sheffield Wednesday on Monday, Dec. 15, to raise his USMNT stock. Agyemang made several appearances for the national team in the Gold Cup last summer but has fallen out of favor in recent weeks; more braces like this one could change that picture.

Some much-needed consistency

Midfielder Weston McKennie has survived several contentious regime changes at Juventus, but the most recent—the sacking of Igor Tudor in favor of Luciano Spalletti—appears to have worked out in his favor. Spalletti has given McKennie his first string of consistent starts in ages and McKennie has repaid his trust with goals...including two decisive Champions League stunners against Bodo/Glimt and Pafos.

The USMNT will return to action next spring with pre-World Cup friendlies against Portugal and Belgium in Atlanta, G.A.