U.S. men’s national team forward Patrick Agyemang suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury during Derby County’s 2-0 win over Stoke City on Monday and has been ruled out of the World Cup, as well as the remainder of Derby’s season.
Agyemang started for Derby and towards the end of the first half, he went to control the ball with his chest but landed awkwardly. The 25-year-old was visibly in pain before he received medical attention on the field and left the match on a stretcher, with Jaydon Banel coming on in his place in the 42nd minute.
The specifics of Agyemang’s injury are still unclear, the club saying in a statement that he will receiver further assessment on Tuesday before determining a timeline for his return. The exact type of injury was also unclear in the short term, Derby coach John Eustace unable to offer more details on the issue after the victory.
“He’s gone off for a scan so we’ll wait and see the results of that,” Eustace said post-match. “We don’t want to lose any players. We don’t want to see any players coming off on a stretcher. Hopefully it’s not as bad as what it might be but until we get the scan results, we’re going to have to wait and see.”
Agyemang was in the midst of an impressive first season with Derby, joining the club last summer from MLS’ Charlotte FC. Though he spent a chunk of time on the sidelines at the start of the campaign following a hernia surgery, he went on to play 38 games for the team and notched 10 goals and three assists along the way. He has played a crucial role as Derby take a stab at winning promotion to the Premier League and entered Monday’s fixture four points behind sixth place Wrexham, who currently occupy the final berth in the promotion playoffs.
The 25-year-old has also charted a quick upward trajectory with the national team. He earned his first cap in January 2025 and quickly entered the mix for a World Cup roster spot, becoming a fairly regular fixture in Mauricio Pochettino’s rosters. He has six goals in 15 caps, the most recent of which came in the U.S.’ 5-2 defeat to Belgium in March.
USMNT loses impactful Agyemang for World Cup
For the first time in a long time, the USMNT have plenty of options in attack, leaving Pochettino with plenty of tough decisions as he assembles his World Cup roster. While Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi feel more like locks than not, Agyemang and Coventry City forward Haji Wright were assumed to be competing for a single spot as the final option for the U.S. at center forward. Each had a compelling case and each boast different skillsets. The pair seemed likely to compete for that last berth until the last possible day.
Agyemang was a notable bright spot during that game against Belgium, his 19-minute cameo serving as his first appearance for the USMNT since starting in the team’s loss to Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final last July. He entered the match after Belgium took a 4-1 lead, scoring three goals in 15 minutes after the teams went into the break with the scoreline still 1-1. The energy had been sucked out of the U.S. team by the time Agyemang and Pepi came on in the 71st minute, positive takeaways feeling further out of reach when Dodi Lukebakio completed his brace in the 82nd minute. Pepi and Agyemang, though, delivered their own moment of brilliance five minutes later as they looked lively close to goal, Pepi capitalizing on a barely loose ball before quickly sending it Agyemang’s way for a finish from close range.
Now that Agyemang’s injury has ruled him out of the World Cup, it likely means Pochettino will select Wright and focus his attention on putting other puzzle pieces together as he settles on the roster for this summer’s tournament. Agyemang, though, would have been a valuable player on the U.S. team – his transition from MLS to the Championship has been relatively smooth, the 25-year-old improving his ability to use his frame and stretch out opposition defenses in the months since.
That is especially notable as star Christian Pulisic continues a dry spell in front of goal – the AC Milan player has not scored for his club in three months and has not found the back of the net for the national team since Nov. 2024. The more options available to Pochettino, the better during Pulisic’s goalless run, so Agyemang’s injury is a notable blow to the USMNT, even if he would have primarily been an important player off the bench.
Injuries strike again as World Cup nears
Untimely injuries are an unfortunate part of every World Cup cycle and play a role in almost every roster assembled. Agyemang is just the latest in a string of USMNT players who were forced to sit out previous editions of the tournament.
Center back Chris Richards, arguably the USMNT’s most important player today, was ruled out of the 2022 World Cup with a leg injury, while another contender for the 2026 squad in Miles Robinson also missed the tournament in Qatar after tearing his Achilles tendon six months before the competition began.
More notably, forward Charlie Davies was omitted from the 2010 World Cup roster because he was not medically cleared by his then-club, France’s Sochaux. Davies was involved in a serious car accident in Oct. 2009 that left him with significant injuries and he did not return to training with Sochaux until April 2010. He did not play in an official match until March 2011 when he joined MLS’ D.C. United on loan from Sochaux and though he did not play for the national team again, he played at the club level for several years before retiring in 2017. (Davies is currently an analyst on CBS Sports Golazo Network.)
