United States national team manager Greg Berhalter has sent midfielder Weston McKennie back to Juventus for the club ahead of Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Honduras, the US Soccer Federation announced on Monday.
The decision comes after McKennie was suspended for Sunday's 1-1 draw against Canada in World Cup qualifying. McKennie later posted on Instagram that his suspension was due to the team breaking COVID-19 protocols.
After the match, Berhalter stated that it "remains to be seen" whether McKennie would be available for the Honduras match. On Monday, it was decided to suspend him further.
"Weston will return to Italy and will be unavailable for the match against Honduras due to a breach of team policy," Berhalter said in a statement. "There are high expectations for those who are part of the U.S. Men's National Team, and in order to be successful it is important that everyone in the group is held accountable."
San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Jackson Yuil has been called in to replace McKennie. It was also announced that Barcelona defender Sergio Dest has been ruled out of Honduras' game against Canada after suffering an ankle sprain.
Goalkeeper Zack Stephens tested positive for COVID-19 and Giovanni Reyna suffered a hamstring strain in a 0-0 match against El Salvador, U.S.A. Will have 23 players available for selection on Wednesday. Stefan was replaced on the roster by New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
McKennie's absence will be deeply felt, but Berhalter clearly thought he had no choice but to further discipline the Juventus midfielder after a breach of team protocol.
This isn't the first time McKennie has behaved like this. He was suspended by Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo back in April after he was revealed to have hosted a party that included Juventus teammates Paulo Dybala and Arthur. The police had also fined him.