Many Football Players are Hurt Before the World Cup

May 11, 2026, 20:42

Introduction

Many famous football teams have players with injuries. The World Cup is in June.

Main Body

The USA team has many problems. Johnny Cardoso needs a doctor for his ankle. He cannot play in the World Cup. Tanner Tessmann and Tim Weah also have muscle injuries. Christian Pulisic is hurt and does not score goals. Coach Mauricio Pochettino must find new players. Big teams in Europe have problems too. Manchester United has three hurt players. Matthijs de Ligt has a back injury. He might not play for the Netherlands. Atlético Madrid also has two players with injuries. Spain has problems with two players. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have leg injuries. This is bad for the Spanish coach. He cannot plan the games easily.

Conclusion

Many teams do not have enough healthy players because of injuries.

Learning

⚡ The "Cannot" Pattern

When someone is hurt, they are unable to do things. Look at these examples from the text:

Johnny cannot play.
He does not score goals.
The coach cannot plan.

How it works: Cannot + Action word = No possibility.

Simple Switch: Cannot $\rightarrow$ Can't (This is how people speak in real life).

🦵 Body Parts & Problems

In A2 English, we link a person $\rightarrow$ body part $\rightarrow$ problem.

Person	Body Part	Problem
Johnny	Ankle	Needs a doctor
Matthijs	Back	Injury
Nico	Leg	Injury

Key Phrase: "Have a [Body Part] injury" Example: "I have a leg injury."

Vocabulary Learning

ankle (n.)

the joint at the lower part of the leg, between the shin and the foot

Example:She twisted her ankle while running.

muscle (n.)

a body tissue that can contract to produce movement

Example:The muscle in his thigh was sore after the game.

injury (n.)

harm or damage to a body part

Example:He had an injury that kept him from playing.

coach (n.)

a person who trains and leads a sports team

Example:The coach gave the team new strategies.

healthy (adj.)

in good physical condition; free from illness

Example:Only healthy players can join the national squad.

score (v.)

to make points or goals in a game

Example:He scored a goal in the last minute.