Well, this is awful news for the United States. While chasing a long ball over the top, Jozy Altidore pulled up lame, grabbing his hamstring. It'll be a while before the USMNT knows the severity of the injury, but it was bad enough that he's unable to continue. Aron Johannsson has come on to replace him.
Jozy Altidore off injured for the United States
Altidore has been in poor form for the United States and Sunderland, but he scored two goals in the U.S.'s final warm-up friendly against Nigeria, so fans were hopeful that he'd produce in the World Cup. He looked sharp early against Ghana, but he'll play no further part.
Need Landon? Nope
Johannsson is a different kind of striker than Altidore. He’s quicker, but nowhere near as big. Jurgen Klinsmann likes having a target man, but the U.S. system doesn’t require one -- Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey can do plenty of holding up the ball. Plus, Johannsson is in excellent form -- he scored 17 goals in the Eredivisie for AZ Alkmaar this season.
Update: Initial diagnosis is strained hamstring
At this point, Jozy diagnosis is strained hamstring. Nothing more dire. But he's still being evaluated.
— Jeremy Schaap (@JeremySchaap) June 16, 2014 See More:
