USMNT’s Daryl Dike suffers second achilles injury in two seasons
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Version 1 of 2. USMNT forward Daryl Dike tore his left achilles tendon while playing for West Bromwich Albion, five games after returning from a ruptured right achilles tendon. Dike will be sidelined until the end of 2024, West Brom said Monday. “I have been trying to wrap my head around the situation and honestly still can’t, nor do I think I will be able to for a while,” Dike said in a statement. “The amount of messages videos and comments that I have received has been unbelievable. ... The things that I have seen have filled my heart and my spirits so much. I have been brought to tears numerous times.” The 23-year-old from Edmond, Oklahoma, was injured in Saturday’s match at Ipswich Town in English football’s second tier. Dike tore his right achilles tendon against Stoke on 15 April last year and returned on 7 January when he played the first half in an FA Cup match against Aldershot. He made four league appearances as a substitute since, totaling 52 minutes. “Unfortunately I have been injured again,” Dike wrote in a post shared on X. “One thing I quickly realised however is how blessed I am to have so many supporters around me … The things that I have seen have filled my heart and my spirits so much. I have been brought to tears numerous times.” Dike joined West Brom from Major League Soccer’s Orlando City in January 2022 and has played in just 29 league matches and 32 overall. He sustained a season-ending hamstring injury in his first start, against Peterborough on 22 January, and tore a thigh muscle in the 2022-23 opener against Stoke on 30 July. He returned 12 November in West Brom’s last game before the World Cup break, then tore his right achilles tendon the following spring. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion “As many of you know I have been injured multiple times and it has made it easy for me to think negatively,” Dike said. “Luckily this support has pushed many positive thoughts back in.” Dike has three goals in 10 appearances for the USMNT. His last appearance came against El Salvador in March 2023. |