USMNT sends Weston McKennie back to Juventus after violating COVID protocols

The United States men's national soccer team will play Honduras Wednesday without the help of midfielder Weston McKennie, who was sent back to his club after breaking COVID protocols.

ESPN reported McKennie was initially suspended for Sunday's 1-1 draw against Canada but could potentially play against Honduras. On Monday, the decision was made to send him back to Juventus instead. 

"Weston will return to Italy and will be unavailable for the match against Honduras due to a violation of team policy," team manager Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. "There are high expectations for those who are a part of the U.S. Men's National Team, and in order to be successful it's important that everyone in the group is accountable."

ESPN reported McKennie was the one who revealed his suspension was due to breaking COVID protocol in an Instagram post. That post appears to have been taken down since then.

This was not McKennie's first offense in the post-pandemic era. He and teammates Paulo Dybala and Arthur Melo were suspended by former Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo back in April for throwing an unsanctioned party that had some 20 people in attendance. McKennie was also fined by the police since the party went against Italy's strict COVID restrictions.

The U.S. national team plays Honduras in the World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.