The U.S. Men's National Team showed a lot of resiliency to grind out a 2-1 victory against Ghana in their opening 2014 FIFA World Cup match in Natal, Brazil. But not everything was good news for coach Jurgen Klinsmann, as he saw his starting striker Jozy Altidore sustain a strained hamstring during the 20th minute of match. The team would go on to win the match from a winning header by John Brooks in the 86th minute after absorbing heavy Ghanaian pressure.
Altidore was chasing a long ball played in by Michael Bradley and pulled up, immediately grabbing his hamstring and signaling for a substitution. Aron Johannsson was the player chosen to replace Altidore from the bench and completed the 90 minutes for the national team. In the final US preparation game against Nigeria, Altidore scored two great goals, his first for the national team in six months.
The US will hope Altidore, who will undergo more tests in Sao Paulo tomorrow, can recover in time for their next two group games against Portugal on Sunday and Germany on June 26. Early reports out of Brazil indicate that the strain may not be too bad, but oftentimes hamstring injuries take more than just one week of recovery time. Altidore's teammates Clint Dempsey and Matt Besler also sustained injuries in the match, with Dempsey sustaining a possible broken nose and Besler coming off at halftime as a precautionary measure for a tight hamstring. Klinsmann will enjoy the three points, but the injuries sustained in this match could be catastrophic.
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