Jeff Carlisle Apr 22, 2026, 03:57 AM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. It's every athlete's worst nightmare. The biggest sporting event of their lives -- say, a FIFA World Cup in one's home country -- is on the horizon. A lifetime's worth of work is about to be put to the ultimate test. Dreams are poised to be fulfilled, and then an injury hits. Doubts creep in. Will I make it back? If so, what level will I be at? If not, what then? It can leave a player staring into the abyss. The scenario is one that several on the U.S. men's national team have grappled with in the past six months. PSV Eindhoven defender Sergiño Dest is in a race against time to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered on March 7, although last Monday he said via the USMNT's Instagram page, "I'm doing really well ... I'm almost back." AFC Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams has sustained multiple injuries, including a torn MCL, since December, although he's back on the field now.…