The United States Men's national team have been handed a major injury boost ahead of the 2026 World Cup as star defender Antonee Robinson finally returned from his knee injury and started for Fulham in their Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday. Robinson has remained sidelined for the majority of the current season due to a persistent knee problem.

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  USMNT boost

  Robinson's injury occurred last fall during one of the USMNT's friendlies, where he sustained a "dead leg" on the top of his knee. That ended up splitting his tendon, leading to severe pain beginning in November. He played through the rest of the season with Fulham, but wasn't deemed fit enough for March's Nations League Finals and, he ultimately missed the Gold Cup after undergoing surgery. 

  Ahead of the October international break, when Mauricio Pochettino unveiled his USMNT roster, Robinson's name was on it for the first time in 2025, although he did not appear in any of the matches, as Pochettino had acknowledged that his minutes would need to be managed this camp.

  Robinson also acknowledged that he wasn't at his best in terms of attaining full fitness, as the full-back had said: "I'm still getting used to post-surgery. I'm doing all right. I've been in full training and been in full contention to play matches back at Fulham. I had a few spells coming on here and there and played 90 minutes in a cup game and got through it pretty well. I'm still not feeling 100 percent on it or how it felt a year ago before the injury first happened, but I'm getting there slowly."

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  Robinson plays full 90 minutes against Burnley

  For the first time in the 2025-26 campaign, Robinson survived the full 90 minutes on the pitch as Fulham edged out Burnley in a five-goal thriller in the Premier League on Saturday. Robinson's return to action will be a massive boost for Pochettino and the USMNT ahead of the 2026 World Cup on home soil next summer.

  Before the tournament, the co-hosts will are scheduled to play four international friendlies and Robinson will look forward to impress the manager during that period and earn his place back in the USMNT starting lineup.

• 'Mentally, it's been nearly a year away from national team'

  Robinson also opened up on the mental toll it took to be away from the national team for over a year as he added: "It was really difficult, to be honest, especially because we had some disappointments this year with not winning the Nations League and the Gold Cup. They're trophies that we take pretty seriously, so not being able to bring them home was disappointing. The fact that you have to watch and can't contribute, I'd always rather be here and be the one taking responsibility on the field, win or lose, then to have to watch and not help out. Mentally, it's been nearly a year away from the national team after not missing too many camps and being with the national team for so long. It was very difficult."

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  Robinson eyes regular game time

  For now, Robinson's primary focus will be to feature in Marco Silva's starting lineup regularly to gather game time and attain perfect match fitness before he can prove himself in front of Pochettino in the national team. The American full-back will be back in action on December 17 for the Cottagers as they take on Newcastle United in a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash. 

Tags: Futebol
Category: News