U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Stuart Holden has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee following an MRI evaluation Monday in Chicago after the completion of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Holden will consult with the medical teams of U.S. Soccer and Bolton Wanderers to formulate a treatment plan.
“We are absolutely devastated for Stuart,” said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “He is such a great part of our team on the field and the locker room. He worked tremendously hard to recover from previous injuries and had really come back into form.
“He was fully prepared to head back to Bolton and challenge for a starting spot. Now he will have our full support as he goes down this road again, and we will be with him every step of the way.”
Holden suffered the injury in the 18th minute of the USA’s 1-0 win against Panama in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. He had recently returned to the National Team, making his first appearance in more than two years when he entered as a substitute on May 29 against Belgium.
In the Gold Cup, Holden had improved from being a second-half substitute to a starting midfielder. He had shown that he was recovered from his previous injuries and appeared ready to be considered for selection to the U.S. MNT when the finals games in the World Cup qualifying hexagonal begins in September.
Surgery will require a period of 6-9 months recovery and rehab, putting him in the window for consideration for the final World Cup roster, but probably not enough time for him to return to the level of fitness that he brought to the Gold Cup.