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USMNT midfielder Tanner Tessmann set to miss final two games of Lyon's season after suffering muscle injury ahead of World cup

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    What happened?

    Fonseca discussed Tessmann's injury during Friday's press conference ahead of Lyon's trip to Toulouse to face Tessmann's USMNT teammate Mark McKenzie. During the press conference, Fonseca revealed that Tessmann will not feature in Lyon's matches against Toulouse and Lens.

    "Tanner has a muscle strain," Fonseca said. "He won’t play again until the end of the season. Everyone else is ready."

    The match is a big one for Lyon, who enter the weekend sitting third in Ligue 1 as they look to seal a Champions League place for next season..

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    Tessmann's season

    Tessmann was a fairly consistent presence for Lyon this season, whether as a defensive midfielder or a makeshift centerback. In total, he featured in 29 Ligue 1 matches, although he had seen his playing time dry up a bit in recent months as he was primarily used as a substitute. In addition to his Ligue 1 appearances, Tessmann also featured three times in the Coupe de France and nine times in the Europa League, scoring a game-winning goal against FC Utrecht in September.

    Internationally, Tessmann has been a consistent presence with the USMNT in recent months. He featured six times for the USMNT in 2025, including starts against Ecuador and Paraguay. He also scored in the USMNT's 5-1 win against Uruguay to close the 2025 campaign. To start 2026, he played in both matches against Belgium and Portugal, starting the former before coming off the bench to play the entire second half of the latter.

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    Injury concerns

    Tessmann isn't the only USMNT midfielder dealing with injury issues. Atletico Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso was recently diagnosed with an ankle injury just weeks ahead of the World Cup. Those injury issues could severely impact the USMNT's World Cup squad, particularly if Cardoso or Tessmann are forced to miss out because of fitness concerns.

    Both Tessmann and Cardoso have been viewed as contenders to start for the U.S. this summer, likely alongside mainstay Tyler Adams in the heart of midfield.

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    What comes next?

    The USMNT's squad is set to be announced May 26 in New York City. After that, the U.S. will face Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6 before kicking off their World Cup run against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium.