Given his recent injuries, John Brooks was among the more surprising call-ups to the U.S. Men’s National Team. However, the central defender reportedly won’t be with the group for very long.
According to German outlet Kicker, Brooks will return to Germany following the USMNT’s friendly against Cuba as he prepared for his first club appearance since Sept. 10. As a result, Brooks will miss a clash with New Zealand on Tuesday, as Hertha Berlin looks for Brooks to return to the club with enough time to prepare for an Oct. 14 clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Brooks has missed Hertha Berlin’s last four matches, with the initial three coming due to a groin injury. The USMNT defender returned to the squad over the weekend for a 2-0 win over Hamburg, but was left out of the starting lineup in favor of Sebastian Langkamp and Nicklas Stark. Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai recently stated that the centerback position is officially up for grabs after Brooks returned to a competition following his injury.
The USMNT is currently in Miami preparing for Friday’s visit to Cuba.