Taylor Booth was enjoying a stellar run of form for Eredivisie side FC Utrecht, but now has to ponder what’s next after leaving Sunday’s match before halftime.
Booth suffered an apparent lower-body injury in FC Utrecht’s 1-0 win over FC Twente on Sunday. The American attacker was helped off the field in the 22nd minute and watched the remainder of Utrecht’s eventual win on crutches.
Booth, 22, had registered a hat trick and brace respective in his last two club appearances prior to Sunday’s match. The Utah native earned Man of the Match honors in respective victories over FC Volendam and Fortuna Sittard.
His injury is a major worry for FC Utrecht and the U.S. Olympic Men’s National Team. Booth is an option to represent the United States in Paris, France this summer, but could now be forced out of eligibility pending the length of his current injury.
FC Utrecht’s win on Sunday extended its unbeaten run to 14 matches, which is its best league run since 1991.
Up next for Ron Jans’ squad is a league clash with Heracles on Feb. 23.
This is becoming a morbid reality for American players it seems. Just when he is hitting his stride bam injury. Has happened far to often with this current generation of players.
“Has happened far to often with this current generation of players.”
That’s something of an artifact .
There are a lot more players, getting a lot more playing time with a lot more visibility in “this current generation”.
Just look at “Americans Abroad” column 10, 5 years ago. A lot of those guys were getting nowhere near the kind of use and playing time that a Taylor Booth is currently getting.
Maybe but a lot have had major injuries. That’s a fact.
I’m not disputing that there are injuries.
What I’m disputing is that injuries ” happened far to often with this current generation of players.”
I don’t think there is anything unusual about it, specific to Americans as as you seem to.
We have more Americans playing in Europe and they are getting a lot more playing time than they used to.
The subsequent increase in the number of injuries reported in Americans Abroad seems about right to me.
USMNT fans notice injuries more because we have so little depth that an injury to a Booth or an Adams is so much more noticeable than it would be to an England or a Brazil.
“a lot have had major injuries. That’s a fact.”
Sure. No one disputes that.
But you saying “happened far to often with this current generation of players.” implies that this is unusual. And that the USMNT is snakebit.
I don’t think it is. When you have a lot more players playing and you play them a lot more, then you are just likely to get more injuries.
I also think that because the USMNT player pool depth is so thin any injury is a big deal. We just notice it more.
Pick any given soccer power country and go back over the last 5-6 years or so and see how many players they lose to injury and compare the percentages to the USMNT’s injury losses.
Before the 2022 Qatar WC France lost Pogba, Kante, and Benzema but still made the Final. Those guys were three older players to be sure but had they been fit and healthy they could have been serious contributors. As it was no one seemed to notice.
That’s where we want to get to. Being able to miss that kind of quality and still get to a World Cup final.
Right now, this team loses Pulisic in the first game in Copa America and, chances are, they are going nowhere.