USMNT defender Sam Vines mistakenly left off of Antwerp's Champions League roster
United States men's national team defender Sam Vines was left off of Royal Antwerp's UEFA Champions League roster on Thursday, but not for anything he did. In fact, the 24-year-old played an integral role during the qualification stage.
Vines won't be available for any of Antwerp's six group stage matches due to a clerical error. Antwerp manager Mark van Bommel said that Vines was "disappointed" by the news.
"We didn't do it right," van Bommel said via Belgian newspaper HLN. "Vines did belong on the list. We made a mistake and it cannot be corrected."
Now, Vines can only play in the Champions League this season if Antwerp makes it out of the group stage or if he's transferred to another club competing in the Champions League in the January transfer window. Antwerp, which finished third in the Belgian Pro League last season, was drawn into Group H with FC Barcelona, FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Antwerp will start its Champions League campaign against Barcelona on Sept. 19 at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Meanwhile, Vines is out for an indefinite amount of time after sustaining an injury before the international break. He was not named to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter's roster for September.
