Tag: Royal Antwerp

USMNT left back Vines left off Antwerp Champions League roster — by mistake

This was a big oops

When Sam Vines was left off Royal Antwerp’s Champions League roster for the upcoming group stage, it appeared that his recent injury must have been serious.

Vines started the 2023-24 season well, scoring an excellent goal from distance against Union Saint-Gilloise in league play last weekend before leaving the match with an injury.

But the truth of why Vines won’t play in the Champions League is actually much stranger.

As Antwerp head coach Mark van Bommel revealed at a press conference on Thursday, Vines was omitted from the roster by mistake.

“We have made an administrative error and it cannot be corrected,” Van Bommel said.

The coach added that although Vines is injured, he is expected to be fit at some point during the group stage.

“Everyone wants to be on that list, so he is disappointed,” Van Bommel said. “Sam is now recovering and we cannot estimate how long he will be out, but he should be fit before the end of the group stage.”

Van Bommel added: “He is now focusing on his rehabilitation, that is the most important thing.”

Missing the chance to face Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto in the Champions League will be a major blow for Vines, who was also forced out of contention for a World Cup roster spot last year due to a broken leg.

Vines would return in March and made a handful of appearances for the club’s reserves, before he was reintegrated into the senior team ahead of the current season.

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USMNT players in UEFA Champions League 2023-24

11 U.S. players are in the world’s biggest club competition

There was once a time where a U.S. men’s national team player being on a Champions League squad list — even if they might have no shot at playing in any actual games — was a very big deal.

It’s safe to say those days are gone, with no fewer than 11 U.S. players on the books for clubs that qualified for this year’s competition.

Sure, in some cases the player in question is probably a major longshot to even dress on gameday, but between Christian Pulisic’s sublime start to life at AC Milan and a USMNT trio at PSV, USMNT fans are likely going to be watching games on multiple screens just to keep up.

Here is the complete list of U.S. men’s players to make it to this year’s Champions League proper:

USMNT left back Sam Vines will miss World Cup with broken leg

The 23-year-old was in contention for a World Cup spot backing up Antonee Robinson

U.S. national team left back Sam Vines announced on Instagram that he will miss 3-4 months with a broken tibia, ending his World Cup hopes.

Vines had put himself in contention for a place in Qatar with a strong start to the season with Royal Antwerp in Belgium, where he became an every-game starter.

The 23-year-old was called in for September’s friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia, his first USMNT call-up since November 2021.

But his hopes of landing a spot backing up Antonee Robinson in Qatar have now been dashed.

“Life is full of ups and downs,” Vines wrote on Instagram. “Unfortunately yesterday I broke my tibia and had to get surgery. The operation went well and I should be back in 3-4 months. Upset I missed the chance to be in the World Cup but I will be supporting the boys until the end. Thank you for all the support. I’ll be back stronger.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CklNBjJoGul/?hl=en

Behind Robinson, starting right back Sergiño Dest has often been deployed as a backup left back for the national team. Joe Scally can also play the position, though he typically plays right back at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

With Vines out, Scally would appear to have a World Cup spot just about locked up. George Bello, another left back option for the USMNT, has struggled at second-division Germany side Arminia Bielefeld and has only been capped once by the USMNT in 2022.

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