USMNT, Galaxy dealt big blow as Sebastian Lletget ruled out up to 6 months
On Tuesday, the LA Galaxy announced that American midfielder Sebastian Lletget is set to undergo foot surgery. Lletget injured his foot in the U.S. men's national team's World Cup qualifying against Honduras on Friday.
While it initially appeared Lletget just suffered a left foot strain, it's been determined Lletget has a Lisfranc injury that will require surgery. The timetable for Lletget to return is lengthy. The 24-year-old American will miss the next 4-6 months, the Galaxy said in their statement.
Surgery is expected to take place next week once swelling on the foot goes down. If that puts the start of his recovery at the beginning of April, the soonest Lletget could return for both the Galaxy and the USMNT would be early August. If he needs the full six months to recuperate, he would be back in action in early October. Of course, there's always setbacks to consider, too.
Nevertheless, no matter exactly how long Lleget is out he's due to miss a significant amount of time.
The MLS season is just three matchdays old, so he'll miss a number of games for the Galaxy. On the international front, Lletget was just starting to assert himself in Bruce Arena's squad and starting XI. With this injury, he's sure to miss the World Cup qualifying matches in June and the Gold Cup in July. It'd be a surprise if he were able to work himself back into the picture by the time the September qualifiers rolled around, too.
Lletget's injury occurred after he had already scored against Honduras in the USMNT's 6-0 win on Friday, with his dream start winding up resembling a bit of a nightmare. The midfielder's versatility and attacking verve will be missed for both club and country, that's for sure.
