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Ledezma out for season after diagnosed with torn ACL

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Richie Ledezma’s stock with Dutch side PSV has increased over the past few months, but the midfielder has been ruled out for the rest of the current season.

PSV announced Friday that Ledezma suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. Ledezma got the start for PSV at home against eliminated Omonia Nicosia in UEFA Europa League play on Thursday, but was stretchered off in the 17th minute after trying to win possession back in midfield.

The U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder had made five previous combined appearances with the first team this season, registering one assist in Eredivisie play. He also made his senior debut for the USMNT in a 6-2 November friendly win over Panama in Austria earlier this fall.

The 20-year-old has played majority of the season with Jong PSV, scoring two goals and adding two assists in nine combined appearances. However, his performances were gradually increasing with PSV’s first team, and he did earn his first Eredivisie start against Sparta Rotterdam in late November.

Ledezma’s long-term absence is not only a blow for PSV, but also the USMNT who kicks off a busy 2021 schedule in January. Gregg Berhalter’s team is set to begin World Cup Qualifying, Olympic Qualifying, conclude the postponed Concacaf Nations League, and also take part in the Concacaf Gold Cup.

After appearing for the USMNT in November, Ledezma is also an option for Jason Kreis’ U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team, who was set to take part in the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Tournament earlier this year before COVID-19 forced the competition to be moved to 2021.

Ledezma is the second USMNT player to have suffered a torn ACL, joining D.C. United’s Paul Arriola who was injured in February but returned to action for his club in November and for the USMNT in Wednesday’s 6-0 win over El Salvador.

PSV will learn its fate for the Europa League Round of 32 on Monday while also continuing to fight at the top of the Eredivisie table.

Comments

  1. So bummed to see this. Never ever want to see an injury like this but… hopefully this propels a very talented kid forward with even more toughness and resolve. Fight on and back on the field soon as possible!

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  2. What a stinker…feel bad for the kid and for USMNT….how many of the lost generation had knee injuries that completely halted their development…gyau, gatt, boyd, opara, junior flores…Let’s cross our fingers for a speedy and complication free recovery and return…..

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  3. Comes at a really, really bad time in his career. Just was breaking into the first team but wasn’t fully there. Will realistically set him back a year, maybe more. Feel bad for the guy. And a good reminder of how quickly things can change for our golden generation.

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  4. Damn….we(USMNT players)can’t catch a break with injuries! I hope is nothing serious but if they had to bring out a stretcher that ain’t good!

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    • I don’t think it’s specific to us, as both clubs and national teams seem to be struggling with it everywhere. Look at Liverpool. It seems to be down to fixture congestion due to both coronavirus (short or non-existent windows) and competing in multiple competitions (domestic leagues and cups, international friendlies, nations leagues, international tournaments…).

      I think it seems bad for us because 1) well, we’re focused on the U.S. and American players, obviously, and 2) while we’re making leaps and bounds in terms of having key contributors at top clubs, we’re still at a level of squad depth where if we lose a starter or two, it hits us harder than a France or Germany. Hopefully, this necessary depth experiment we’ve been working on under Berhalter (essentially, running three squads deep) will put is in a better position to call upon experienced backups when we lose a Pulisic or Adams to injury.

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      • your post definitely has some merit to it, but “our” players injuries seem to come at the most inopportune time(before or at big tournaments)and history would suggest that!

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