US midfielder James Sands suffers serious ankle injury, broken calf bone playing for St. Pauli
St. Pauli’s James Sands dribbles past Heidenheim’s Luca Kerber, left, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Heidenheim and FC St. Pauli in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.(Harry Langer/dpa via AP, File)
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — United States defensive midfielder James Sands faces a lengthy layoff with a serious right ankle injury and broken calf bone sustained while playing for St. Pauli.
Sands, who only joined the German club on loan from New York City FC in January, had to be helped off the field in stoppage time of the team’s 1-0 Bundesliga loss at home to Freiburg on Saturday. He was then taken to a local hospital.
“Sands suffered a complex ankle injury with a torn medial ligament as well as a broken fibula,” the club said Sunday on the social network Bluesky. “Our midfielder has already undergone surgery at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf and will be out for an indefinite period.”
St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin already feared the worst after the game.
“It looks really bad,” Blessin said. “At first I thought, the knee. But it doesn’t look good for the ankle.”
Sands had made his fifth consecutive start for St. Pauli in his seventh appearance since joining in the winter transfer period, indicating how important he had become for the promoted team in just over a month.
“It really hits me to the core,” Blessin said of Sands’ injury. “He was very strong in challenges and brought Jackson Irvine into a better position beside him. That’s why it hurts very, very much. The hope is that he’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Sands had only last week told journalists how he hoped his move to St. Pauli could help put him back in the mix for a national team place ahead of the World Cup next year.
New York City FC said in a statement that “everyone at the club wishes James all the best in his recovery.”
St. Pauli, which is fighting for Bundesliga survival after its sixth promotion to the top division, also has Connor Metcalfe, Robert Wagner, Elias Saad, Karol Mets and Morgan Guilavogui out with injuries.
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