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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The U.S. Soccer Federation on Tuesday disputed a report that Hertha Berlin defender John Brooks was not given appropriate medical care for his bruised knee while on national team duty last week. Brooks picked up a knee contusion in his last game with Hertha, a 2-1 win against Ingolstadt on March 19. He was still included in the 26-man roster U.S. coach named for last week's World Cup qualifying loss at Guatemala and Tuesday's rematch here (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN). However, he didn't play in Guatemala City and was released to Hertha on Sunday after it was determined he would not be able to participate in the home game. Hertha sporting director Michael Preetz suggested that U.S. Soccer had not properly looked after the 23-year-old center-back, who is in the midst of a career year with the Bundesliga's third-place team. "John boarded the plane without any acute problems and returns injured. It raises a few questions," Preetz told German publication Kicker. "The U.S. association keeps him on site for four, five days without any real examination." The USSF said the assertion is inaccurate. "John texted our trainer and told him that he was going to need treatment, not that he was injured or out," a national team spokesman told ESPN FC on Tuesday afternoon. "He had treatment every day and was making progress but hadn't fully trained when we left to Guatemala. He trained for 20 minutes the day before the game but still felt pain, so we decided to play it safe and send him back . He returned to Hertha in better condition than he left in."
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