Sergino Dest injury is a big blow for the USMNT - how will Gregg Berhalter cover for defender's Copa America absence?

The way information trickled out was a something of a slow burn, but the USMNT will certainly feel like the flames got them on this one. On Sunday, reports began to emerge that the PSV star had picked up a season-ending knee injury during a training session over the weekend. That news was soon verified by the club itself, confirming the USMNT's worst fears.

“Sergino Dest suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury during Saturday's training session," PSV said in a statement. "How long the winger will be sidelined is still being investigated. That it will be an extended period is almost certain."

For Dest, that'll add a whole bunch of uncertainty to his club situation. His loan with PSV from Barcelona expires this summer, and reports indicated the club was keen on making his stay permanent. However, with it now being suggested that Dest could be out until 2025, his future is in limbo.

From a USMNT perspective, reshuffling is in order as they look to replace a player unlike any other in the team.

It's so often boiled down into individual skillsets, but the 11 players on the field are all part of one big ecosystem. Every player has an impact on one another and every players' particular playing style meshes with those around him.

That's important to remember when it comes to Dest. It's not just about what Dest can do as an individual player, but what he allows those around him to do because of his abilities. Everyone knows that Dest is an attack-minded player, one that is significantly better on the ball compared to off it. What people don't necessarily grasp, though, is how much he changes the game for the other players on his side of the field.

Tim Weah is a traditional winger, one who uses his pace to get down the line. It's a position used a bit less in the modern game, where wide forward are often asked to tuck inside as new-age fullbacks step forward to provide the width. On the USMNT, it's often the opposite. Weah provides the width while Dest often tucks into the spaces in between, becoming another playmaker in the U.S. attack. When midfielders Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah also get forward, opposition defenses become overloaded.

The U.S. has other fullbacks that can get down the line, and the team also has other fullbacks that can defend much better than Dest. We've gotten looks at what that looks like, too, and it's fair to say that it all looks a bit different.

The USMNT hasn't had to play without Dest very often. He started each of the team's four games at the World Cup in Qatar back in 2022, and all-but one of the "A-team's" games in 2023, too. He was also in the XI for the CONCACAF Nations League final win over Mexico this spring.

He did miss the Nations League semifinal, though. A bone-headed red card against Trinidad & Tobago back in November earned Dest a suspension for the Nations League semi against Jamaica. In that game, Dest's presence was sorely missed. The U.S. struggled mightily in general, but it was clear that another creator in Dest would have been valuable.

Instead, the U.S. started with Joe Scally, who had a difficult first half before being taken off at halftime. McKennie, who spent part of the season playing as a right-wingback for Juventus, then filled in. It's Scally, though, who looks like the next man up, and the USMNT will have to hope he steps up to the challenge.

It feels like Scally's been waiting for his breakthrough for years. It didn't happen at the World Cup, where he failed to see the field as Dest's backup, and, in the moments he has played, he hasn't really put in a signature USMNT performance.

That will likely have to change this summer, as it seems the U.S. will have to rely on Scally, a player who hasn't quite brought his club performances to the international level. He's always been good in the Bundesliga for Borussia Monchengladbach, playing at the highest of levels in Europe, but at least so far, he's never quite seized a USMNT chance to really push or surpass Dest.

"It's always difficult when you're playing every single game with your club to go and then not play," Scally said back in January when asked about the Copa America and his place with the USMNT. "No player wants to sit on the bench and every player wants to play. Of course, I'm excited about games like this."

Scally and Dest are, of course, very different players. Scally is a more traditional fullback, a defensive-minded defender, who does not offer the offensive boost that Dest does. The 21-year-old may be the best option, but if Berhalter is looking to keep right-back as an attacking position, he could turn to another contender...

So far, Berhalter has been hesitant to shake things up in a big way. Moving Weah from right-winger to right-back would be a big shakeup... or would it? Weah has been playing as a wingback for Juventus all season, and though he's largely been a substitute in recent months, when he's been on the field, he's been in that wingback role.

You know what you get with Weah. He's a dynamic attacker that stretches the lines. The word Berhalter often uses is "verticality" to describe what Weah offers.

Can he offer that from a right-back position? Certainly. You could then solve another problem by starting, say, Gio Reyna, in Weah's usual wing spot. You then have Reyna occupying a more central space and Weah staying on the sideline. Ultimately, it isn't that different than what you'd have with Dest tactically.

It is a gamble, though, as it dramatically alters the USMNT attack and asks Weah to defend a bit more than he's used to even at Juventus. It's not a direct like-for-like swap, but it is one that allows the U.S. to keep things fairly similar tactically.

There is another option, though, and it's a wild one. It would be a bold call, for sure...

Tyler Adams has started at fullback during Berhalter's tenure, as in his early days, the now-national team capaign played as an inverted fullback, a position that was en vogue due to Pep Guardiola's experimentation at Manchester City.

Adams, of course, went on to form the formidable MMA midfield with McKennie and Musah once that little experiment ended, and is the team's best No.6. The U.S., though, has some questions to answer in midfield, too. If Berhalter inverts the midfield and plays Reyna as a No.10, which of the MMA trio would make way?

Well, in this scenario, the answer is none. Adams shifts back to right-back, which isn't his best position but keeps him on the field. McKennie and Musah then stay central, with Adams tucking in at times too.

Is it the most likely choice? Probably not, particularly with Adams' fitness still in doubt heading into the summer. It's worth pondering, though.

Regardless of who starts in Dest's position, a roster spot just opened up, and we'll have to see how Berhalter fills it. He could turn to a veteran like Shaq Moore, who he name-dropped as a Dest replacement ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League. Players like Reggie Cannon and George Bello could jump back into the mix, too, after some time away from the team. Bryan Reynolds could also force his way back in, although he looks bound for the Olympics instead.

Either way, Berhalter now has some big decisions to make. The Copa America hasn't even kicked-off yet and the USMNT is down a starter. We knew this summer's tournament wouldn't be easy, but the U.S. run has already reached its first significant hurdle.