The USMNT and Bolton Wanderers midfielder’s worst fears have been confirmed following his Gold Cup Final injury.
An MRI scan in Chicago on Monday has confirmed that the injury suffered by Stuart Holden during the USMNT’s Gold Cup Final match is indeed an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Bolton Wanderers midfielder picked up the injury following what at first appeared to be minimal contact with Panama’s Alberto Quintero. However, Holden was left on the ground clutching his right knee in agony, and was substituted immediately.
“We are absolutely devastated for Stuart,” US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement to USSoccer.com. “He is such a great part of our team on the field and the locker room. He worked tremendously hard to recover from previous injuries and had really come back into form. He was fully prepared to head back to Bolton and challenge for a starting spot. Now he will have our full support as he goes down this road again, and we will be with him every step of the way.”
The Gold Cup Final game was Holden’s first national team appearance in two years, following a slew of injury problems – most of which related to his now re-injured knee.
“We’ve got the scans and the results will be analysed by our specialists,” Bolton sports performance director Mark Leather told the club’s official website. “We can then put an action plan in place over the next week to 10 days when the initial swelling reduces.”
No official rehabilitation schedule or estimates for a recovery time have been released by either club or country, but if surgery is required then rehabilitation could take six months or more.
Holden sent out a tweet shortly after the news broke to console any concerned fans or well-wishers:
I will rise again! Big love and thanks to all the @officialbwfc and @ussoccer supporters, we will… http://t.co/gEjn09Yt5e
— Stuart Holden (@stuholden) July 29, 2013