A third US men’s national team appearance for Miles Robinson will have to wait, as the Atlanta United center back has left camp with a hamstring injury ahead of Tuesday’s (7:30 pm ET | ESPN2, UniMas, TUDN) Concacaf Nations League match against Canada.
The news was announced Saturday morning by US Soccer, and there’s no replacement expected for the 22-year-old. The injury arose in a training session after Friday night’s 7-0 romp of Cuba in Group A play.
It’s not immediately clear how long Robinson will be on the sidelines, though there’s definitely worry from a Five Stripes’ perspective.
As the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, they’re set to host No. 7 seed New England Revolution next Saturday (1 pm ET | Univision, TUDN, TVAS, TSN4) in an Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs first-round clash. The winner of the single-elimination match will advance to face either No. 3 seed Philadelphia Union or No. 6 seed New York Red Bulls on Oct. 24 (7:30 pm ET | ESPN2, TSN, TVAS).
Robinson has enjoyed a breakout season, starting 33 of 34 games for the defending MLS Cup champions under head coach Frank de Boer. The center back’s athleticism and individual defending skills have proven in Atlanta already capturing their first U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup titles.
Should Robinson be unable to play, Atlanta still boasts the likes of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Michael Parkhurst and Florentin Pogba as center backs. Questions about the team's formation will arise, though.
This is the second big injury news for Atlanta in recent weeks, as striker Josef Martinez suffered a knee and ankle scare. The 2018 Landon Donovan MLS MVP has since recovered to lead the attack.
