Last week saw the USMNT draw 1-1 with northern rivals Canada, which obviously wasn't the result Gregg Berhalter wanted to see following their scoreless draw with El Salvador.
And things were made a lot more complicated due to the absence of one of their key players - but he wasn't unavailable due to injury or illness.
Rather, Weston McKennie was suspended from the team following what some have described as a "breach in COVID-19 protocol". The Texan born midfielder, who made history as the first American to sign for Juventus last season and has recently inked a permanent deal, was sent home, meaning that he's now back in Italy as opposed to being able to join his teammates for their next match.
Former USMNT star Landon Donovan has also alluded that there could be more to why McKennie has been suspended from the squad, but declined to offer more specific details.
It'll come as a major blow for the USMNT, who really need all hands on deck to salvage their World Cup qualification goals. The Yanks missed out on the 2018 edition after an embarrassing performance during qualifiers, and they'll obviously hope to avoid a repeat.
However, they will have to do it without McKennie. Regrettably, this isn't the first time the 23-year-old has gotten in trouble with his employers; earlier this year, he was also reprimanded by Juventus for hosting a party while Italy were really struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this setback, it's onwards for Team USA. The Stars and Stripes will next take on Honduras, who, like them have two points from their first two matches and will be eager to get some much needed points on the board to make up some of the ground between themselves and table leaders Mexico.
