Leeds United ban offers unlikely advantage as new World Cup ruling puts players at ‘extreme’ risk

The United States captain picked up two yellow cards in Leeds’ most recent fixture away to Tottenham Hotspur, meaning he will serve a one-game ban in the Whites’ next league fixture against Manchester City. While Adams’ absence against the Premier League champions is a blow, it does offer the USMNT star an opportunity that will not be afforded to several other players appearing at the Finals in Qatar.

Ordinarily, the World Cup concludes in June and July, depending on how far a country progresses, leaving players in Europe’s major leagues such as England’s top flight, broadly one month to recuperate and then increase training workloads before the new season begins.

This time around, however, there is a week between the tournament’s finale and the resumption of Premier League games on December 26. In some cases, teams will compete in the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup a matter of days after the World Cup Final.

2022’s footballing calendar is unprecedented in terms of the game’s showpiece event being shoehorned into the middle of the domestic campaign and concerns have already been raised over fatigue and increased injury risk caused by congested scheduling. A recent FIFPro report, released on the eve of the tournament, found that players are at risk of facing ‘extreme overload’, meaning any additional respite for those competing at the tournament should be met with relief.

In Tyler Adams’ case, that respite will come in the form of his one-match suspension, meaning his next appearance in a Leeds shirt will not be until December 31. In the unlikely scenario the United States make it to the World Cup Final, there will at least be a 13-day window in which Adams can recover.

Should the US fail to advance from the group stage, Adams will then have the standard one month break between fixtures.

This year’s tournament has also been dominated by a proliferation of stoppage time, with FIFA stating fourth officials have been instructed to accurately keep track of time lost during games, leading to some fixtures lasting almost two hours. This is likely to take an additional toll on players already overloaded, including the three Leeds United representatives in Qatar.