Football
Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent 7y

United States defender John Brooks has bruised right quad

COMMERCE CITY, Colorado -- U.S. national team manager Bruce Arena says that defender John Brooks has a bruised right quad, and that he doesn't know if the player will recover in time for Thursday's World Cup qualifier against Trinidad & Tobago.

Brooks, 24, was injured early in the second half of last Saturday's 1-1 draw against Venezuela, grabbing his right thigh as he fell to the floor. He was substituted shortly thereafter.

The U.S. defender spent Sunday getting treatment and had recovered sufficiently to take part in Monday's training session, of which just the first 15 minutes were open to the media. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson confirmed that the Wolfsburg defender participated in the entire session.

Injuries and illness have been an issue for Brooks throughout his international career. He was also forced out of the Americans' 6-0 World Cup qualifying defeat of Honduras last March due to the effects of a sinus infection. The illness forced him to miss the subsequent 1-1 draw with Panama four days later.

Brooks just recently broke the record transfer fee paid for an American player when he secured a $22.4 million move to Wolfsburg after spending the entirety of his career with hometown club Hertha Berlin. All told he made 130 league and cup appearances for Hertha, scoring eight goals.

At international level, Brooks has made 31 appearances for the U.S., scoring three goals, including the game-winner against Ghana at the 2014 World Cup.

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