by FRANCO PANIZO
Oguchi Onyewu likely won't play in the U.S. national team's friendly against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on March 3, but he should be fully recovered from his knee injury and back training with club AC Milan sometime that month.
Onyewu ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee during the U.S. team's final World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica on Oct. 14, putting his World Cup availability in doubt, but according to a report out of Canada, U.S. head coach Bob Bradley expects Onyewu to return to training in March.
"Assuming that there's no unexpected developments along the way, we have the confidence that Gooch will be back in training by March, and hopefully getting some games, and the confidence will return so he'll be ready to go for South Africa," Bradley told CBCSports.ca.
Bradley also spoke about the status of injured U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies, who suffered multiple injuries in a deadly car accident on Oct. 13. Bradley said Davies' recovery through the initial stages has been nothing but positive, but that it is too early to determine whether he would be available for the World Cup.
Bradley added that he will get a better sense of Davies' potential return as the Sochaux striker moves along each stage in rehabilitation.
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What do you think about Onyewu returning to training in March? Do you see him getting minutes with MIlan before the World Cup? How hopeful are you that Davies will make the World Cup squad?
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