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Alex Labidou

USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang stretchered off in Derby's match against Stoke City

Derby vs Stoke
Derby
Stoke
Championship
USA
P. Agyemang

U.S. international forward Patrick Agyemang was taken off in a stretcher during Derby's match against Stoke in the 41st minute. Agyemang was jumping in the air for a challenge and landed awkwardly, the club said, and was replaced by Jadon Banel. While the extent of the injury has not been confirmed, the timing raises concerns for Agyemang's World Cup hopes.

  • One of Derby's key players

    Derby would hold on to win 2-0 over Stoke, keeping their hopes of making a promotion playoff spot alive. Agyemang has been one of the club's key players, scoring 10 goals in 37 league appearances. 

    Derby manager John Eustace said after the match that the striker had gone for a scan, with the extent of the injury not yet confirmed.

    “No [update] yet. He’s gone off for a scan, so we’ll wait and see the results of that,” Derby manager John Eustace said, according to The Guardian. “It’s not [nice to see]. We don’t want to lose any players. We don’t want to see any players coming off on a stretcher. Hopefully, it’s not as bad as what it might be. Until we get the scan results, we’ll have to wait and see.”

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    One of the bright spots of March

    In addition, Agyemang had been one of the few bright spots for USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino during March camp - playing 65 minutes as a substitute in two matches and scoring a goal. 

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    The USMNT striker race

    While Monaco's Folarin Balogun is likely entrenched as the No. 1 option at striker for Pochettino, the race for backup striker is wide open. Agyemang had been viewed as having the momentum for that spot after he had more minutes than PSV's Ricardo Pepi in the match against Portugal. At 6-foot-4, he offers a more physical style of play than most in the USMNT striker pool. 

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  • What comes next?

    Derby and the USMNT will now await the results of Agyemang’s scan. With the World Cup approaching and final roster decisions looming later this spring, the timing is far from ideal.