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U.S. striker Tim Weah was unable to travel to Canada for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier because he did not qualify for the Canadian border crossing, coach Gregg Berhalter said Saturday.
Weah, who took part in the game that led to a 1-0 win over El Salvador on Thursday, received a dose of vaccine and received a second shot that was infected with COVID-19, Berhalter said.
Weah meets standard vaccinations in France, where he plays professionally with Lille, but is unable to enter Canada, Berhalter said.
“This is something we can’t control, the nuances of the COVID protocol, and we have to deal with that,” Berhalter said. “The next man will step in and do his job.”
Berhalter said the team was aware of Weah’s condition “a couple of days ago” and hoped to resolve it before the game in Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday at 3 p.m.
“This was a technical nuance, what we expected would go ahead and unfortunately it didn’t,” Berhalter said.
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Berhalter also said that defender Brooks Lennon has returned to his MLS club, Atlanta United, as he is expected to receive an “assessment for a minor ankle injury” in the “next few days”.
The absence of Weah means he will miss the chance to face Canadian striker Jonathan David, his teammate with French league champions Lille. David scored Canada’s second goal on Thursday when he won 2-0 in Honduras.
“That’s my boy,” Weah told David Thursday after a game in Columbus, Ohio. “We always go. Most importantly, I love watching it see success. Great guy, one of my best friends on the team. I just want success. It’s been really good to see what he’s doing, and he’s encouraged me to work even harder. With that brotherhood, we really enjoy competing. We’ve been waiting for this match all year, we’ve been talking, we’ve been joking about who’s going to win, who’s going to come in. “
Weah did not play for Lille from Dec. 1 to Jan. 19 due to a quadriceps injury. He lost a 1-1 draw against Canada last September due to a thigh injury that sidelined him from August 21 to September 18.
Canada is unbeaten in nine games and is the leader of the group, with a difference of one point in the USA in the second and a difference of two points in Mexico in the third. Panama is in fourth place, five points behind Canada.
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“There’s definitely a lot of improvement over the last couple of years,” U.S. defender Walker Zimmerman said on Saturday in Canada. “I think there’s been a change in their mentality, and they’re playing with a chip on their shoulder, they’re playing with something to prove it, and they’re playing with very high intensity.”
Canadian coach John Herdman paired Sunday’s match with a “derby match” between local rivals.
“It’s a fight for the top positions in the table,” he said. “That’s all I have to say about what it means to us. It’s a World Cup standings, a huge match. It’s not a friendly match. I mean, you’re playing your biggest opponent, the United States. “
Canada and Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies is not available for this three-match window due to evidence of inflammation of the heart muscle found after he was infected with coronary heart disease. Even without Davies quickly, Berhalter said the Canadian roster offers plenty of attacking talent.
“They still have great players,” Berhalter said. “When you think about Tajon Buchanan’s speed, he can do that. When you think about Jonathan David, he’s got quality. He is now one of the leading European strikers. Cyle Larin has always been a very good striker. They have weapons. ”
This is the first trip north of the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-0 loss to Toronto in the CONCACAF Nations League in October 2019.
“This is the first game outside of Canada in the League of Nations when we were blurred from a competitive point of view,” Berhalter said. “That’s the emphasis in this game. We know they will fire. We know they are playing in front of the home fans, and we know they will be safe. The match will be competitive. If we accept that, we will be fine. It’s a good opportunity to move up in the standings. “
The temperature of 29 degrees in Columbus on Thursday equaled the low for the American home qualifier. Defenders Walker Zimmerman and Chris Richards were the only starters in both teams to wear short sleeves.
“I didn’t think it was pretty cold,” Zimmerman said. “It felt really good. I’d rather be a little cold than hot. ‘
The temperature forecast for early Sunday is 23 degrees, with a mix of sun and cloud. With the cold wind, they will feel 14 degrees on the surface of the artificial grass.
“It’s going to be a difficult area,” said Canadian coach John Herdman after coaching his team on Saturday afternoon. “At four o’clock the ice somehow came in and it’s one of those fields that stays hard.”
Zimmerman said he would decide on his outfit after Saturday’s practice and Sunday’s pre-match warm-up.
“I know these next games are going to be colder,” he said.
The U.S. will close its current qualifying window on Wednesday when it takes on Honduras in St. Louis. Paul, Minnesota.
Canada started playing on the grass in the warm Honduras, and will see more next Wednesday in El Salvador. Herdman’s team played two games in cold conditions in Edmonton last November with a win over Costa Rica and Mexico.
“I certainly didn’t have enough on top of the layer,” Herdman said. “I was frozen.”
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