The former USMNT stars believe that the controversy around Davies’ ACL injury sets a bad precedent for the future
Davies tears ACL in Nations League third-place gameBayern Munich threatened legal action against Canada SoccerHoward and Donovan discuss implications for player managementGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowJayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesWHAT HAPPENED
USMNT legend Landon Donovan has criticized Alphonso Davies' agent, Nedal Huoseh, for speaking publicly about the player's injury situation instead of handling it privately.
Davies sustained a torn ACL during Canada’s 2-1 victory over the United States in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place game, sparking a dispute between Bayern Munich and Canada Soccer over his management during the international break. However, on with former USMNT teammate Tim Howard, Donovan took issue not with the clubs or national team but with Huoseh’s decision to address the matter in the media.
“I’m devastated for him [Davies], but there’s a lot to unpack here,” Donovan said on the podcast. “First of all, I have no idea why an agent is speaking to the media and letting them quote him. Not speaking off the record about these things is ridiculous. You’ve got an issue, you call Canada, you call Bayern Munich, and you guys get together and figure out what happened.”
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“Alphonso Davies is the captain, this is not an 18-year-old. If he was not fit to play the game, he would not play the game. I’m not going to guess, I wasn’t in the room so I don’t know if his knee was 100 percent fine, zero percent fine, or somewhere in between. If he did not feel right playing the game, he would not play the game, he would not," Donovan said on the podcast.
“If he’s an 18-year-old, I would have said, ‘Maybe he got pressured into it’. But this guy has played 100s of games, he’s played for Canada a bunch and you go to the coach and you say, ‘it’s a third place, I know it’s USA and it matters but my knee is not in a good place and I’m not playing’. Period, end of story. If he felt good enough to go on the field, that’s on him and whatever happens in the aftermath, I don’t know if Canada evaluated him or not but the reality of this is that his ACL is torn.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Bayern Munich has accused Canada Soccer of negligence in their handling of Davies' injury. The German club is considering legal action, claiming that Davies was not properly assessed before being allowed to play in a "match of no sporting significance." Canada Soccer, on the other hand, have released a statement saying that they followed proper medical procedures and proper care protocols.
Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?
The ACL injury does mean that Alphonso Davies’ 2024-25 season is over as he is out for the remainder of Bayern Munich’s final games and will miss the remainder of the Champions League as well. Not only that, Davies will also miss the 2025 Gold Cup that Canada are co-hosting alongside the USA and will likely only be fit for action halfway into the 2025-26 season.
