Bolton Wanderers midfielder Stuart Holden has been ruled out for at least six months with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Holden suffered the injury after just 20 minutes of the USA's Gold Cup final success last weekend, hurting his knee that has been through successive surgeries in recent years.
Bolton have now confirmed that scans on Holden's right knee have revealed the tear and have pledged to form a plan for recovery alongside the national team medical staff based in the US.
USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann released a statement admitting that he is "absolutely devastated" for Holden, who has spent 16 months on the sidelines in recent seasons with previous knee injuries.
The statement read: "We are absolutely devastated for Stuart. He is such a great part of our team on the field and the locker room.
"He worked tremendously hard to recover from previous injuries and had really come back into form. He was fully prepared to head back to Bolton and challenge for a starting spot.
"Now he will have our full support as he goes down this road again, and we will be with him every step of the way."
The 28-year-old used Twitter to thank fans for their support earlier tonight, insisting that he remains confident of making a speedy return despite the diagnosis.
He tweeted: "I will rise again! Big love and thx to all the @officialbwfc and @ussoccer supporters, we will conquer once more. Lets do this #noholdenback"
Bolton will get their new Championship campaign underway without Holden this weekend against Burnley at Turf Moor.
Liam Power
