For Mexico And Canada, Injuries Are Striking Just As World Cup Hosting Duty Looms

When Marcel Ruiz slumped into nan writer of San Diego FC’s Snapdragon stadium precocious successful nan first half of Toluca’s Concacaf Champions Cup crippled past Wednesday, he seemed to already know. He covered his mouth pinch his near manus and clutched his correct knee – first nan backmost of it, past nan beforehand – pinch his different hand. He turned his caput each which way, possibly hoping that he mightiness scan thing aliases personification who would show him that this was not successful truth happening. That his World Cup connected location ungraded was not already complete 3 months earlier it was to moreover start. That Mexico’s wounded situation had not conscionable deepened further.

Ruiz is only 17 matches into his world profession for El Tri, yet nan cardinal midfielder has firmly established himself arsenic an important cog successful Mexico’s setup pinch his cleanable passing and protect cover. More pertinently, nan 25-year-old was portion of a young halfway yet asserting itself connected a squad that agelong felt caught betwixt generations and suffered done a lackluster autumn, winning nary of their six friendlies against World Cup-bound teams.

With Ruiz ruled retired pinch a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Mexico is now without nan services of six players who appeared successful nan come-from-behind Gold Cup last triumph complete nan United States past summer, including its full starting midfield. Captain and anchor Edson Álvarez yet had room connected his long-ailing ankle and is successful a title to retrieve for nan large tournament; 17-year-old sensation Gilberto Mora has been sidelined by a sports hernia for 2 months now.

Also retired are forwards Alexis Vega and Santi Giménez (with knee and ankle injuries, respectively). The second is nan only 1 of this half twelve not to commencement successful that final, and nan Milan man whitethorn good request to beryllium successful Mexico’s lineup astatine nan World Cup, fixed that his rival astatine striker, Raúl Jiménez, will beryllium 35 by then, and battered by nan agelong Premier League season. Midfielder Luis Chávez started each 3 of Mexico’s matches astatine nan 2022 World Cup but is simply a question-mark arsenic good arsenic he concludes his rehab from a torn ACL. So is Rodrigo Huescas, a contender to commencement astatine correct back.

Marcel Ruiz figured to person been a cardinal subordinate for Mexico this summer. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

Then there’s Luis Angel Malagón, nan presumptive starting goalkeeper. He tore his Achilles successful Club América’s Champions Cup necktie astatine Philadelphia and was beset by truthful galore reporters upon his return to nan airdrome successful Mexico City that he had to scold respective of them to extremity bumping into his freshly-operated-on foot.

Such has been nan swelling panic astir this rash of injuries. Because looming complete it each is the proclamation by Mexico head Javier Aguirre that only afloat fresh players will beryllium eligible for his squad.

While nan United States men’s nationalist squad abruptly finds itself pinch a glut of fresh and in-form players – and astir apt wouldn’t astatine each mind of nan summer’s tourney was moved up by 3 months aliases truthful – nan World Cup’s 3rd co-host, Canada, faces its ain wounded worries.

The Canadians’ captain, superstar and left-flank fulcrum Alphonso Davies has not appeared for his federation successful almost a year, aft tearing his ACL against nan United States successful nan Concacaf Nations League successful March of 2025 (an incident that sparked a furious finger-pointing spat betwixt Canada and his club, Bayern Munich). Such person been his wounded issues that he has logged a specified 528 minutes for Bayern this season. Last week, he strained a hamstring aft conscionable 26 minutes connected nan section successful a Uefa Champions League bout pinch Atalanta, ruling him retired for Canada yet again.

While Davies and his continued absence whitethorn beryllium head Jesse Marsch’s biggest headache, nan remainder of nan backmost statement whitethorn interest him conscionable arsenic much. After all, protect stalwarts Moïse Bombito and Alistair Johnston were named to nan March campy earlier friendlies pinch Iceland and Tunisia arsenic “training players.” Alfie Jones is retired altogether, while Derek Cornelius and Luc de Fougerolles were named to nan playing roster but are besides carrying injuries. Bombito and Cornelius fig to beryllium Canada’s starting halfway backs astatine nan World Cup. Johnston, nan only subordinate not from South America connected nan 2024 Copa América Team of nan Tournament, will astir apt play connected nan right.

Further upfield, midfield heartbeat Stephen Eustaquio is retired pinch a knee injury; Promise David, nan 24-year-old striker connected Belgian champions and Uefa Champions League participants Union Saint-Gilloise, had room connected his hep successful February and whitethorn not retrieve successful clip for nan World Cup either.

There tends to beryllium thing fluky astir doing good astatine a World Cup. Some confluence of nan correct timing and bounces and luck and mentation alchemizes into nan requisite goals astatine opportune times. It’s been almost 8 years since nan 23rd World Cup was granted to North America. Its participants person been readying for it ever since. But there’s nary hedging against nan inevitability of injuries. And for Mexico and Canada, their timing could yet move retired to beryllium incredibly unfortunate.

In 2010, South Africa became nan first World Cup big not to past nan group stage. Qatar became nan 2nd successful 2022. This time, pinch a 48-team format that will postgraduate 32 teams to nan knockout stages, nan likelihood for nan 3 big teams are arsenic bully arsenic they person been successful a agelong time.

But presently, it seems terribly imaginable that 2026 could beryllium nan first World Cup wherever two hosts don’t past nan opening round.

• Leander Schaerlaeckens’ book connected nan United States men’s nationalist shot team, The Long Game, is retired connected 12 May. You tin preorder it here. He teaches astatine Marist University.