U.S. national team coach Gregg Berhalter sent midfielder Weston McKennie back to Juventus ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Honduras, the Federation announced on Monday of United States Soccer.
The decision comes after McKennie was ruled out by a 1-1 draw on Sunday against Canada in qualifying for the World Cup. The player later posted on Instagram that his suspension was due to violating the team’s COVID-19 protocols.
After the match, Berhalter said he “remains to be seen” if McKennie would be available for the Honduras match. On Monday the decision was made to extend the punishment.
“Weston will return to Italy and will not be available for the match against Honduras due to a violation of the team’s policies,” Berhalter said in a statement. “There are high expectations for those who are part of the U.S. National Men’s Team and to be successful it’s important that everyone in the group be held accountable.”
San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Jackson Yueill has been called up to take McKennie’s place. It was also announced that Barcelona defender Sergino Dest has been ruled out of the match against Honduras after twisting an ankle against Canada.
With goalkeeper Zack Steffen positive for COVID-19 and Giovanni Reyna with a strained tendon in the 0-0 draw against El Salvador, the United States will have 23 players available to be selected on Wednesday. Steffen’s place in the list was taken by New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
McKennie’s absence will be deeply felt, but Berhalter did not hesitate to impose more discipline on the Juventus midfielder after his breach of the team’s protocol.
It’s not the first time McKennie has behaved this way. In April, he was suspended by then-Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo after it was discovered he had organized a party that included his Juventus team-mates Paulo Dybala and Arthur. He was also fined by police.