Tribune News Services
LONDON -- Forward Clint Dempsey faces a lengthy layoff after injuring his knee during Fulham's 2-0 loss at Blackburn on Sunday in a possible blow to American preparations for the World Cup.
Dempsey limped off after falling in the 62nd minute of the Premier League game.
"Clint will be scanned tomorrow but we feel it might be a posterior cruciate knee ligament which would be very bad for us and he would be out for a while," Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said. "It's a concern up front because Clint Dempsey is very useful for us."
It will also be a concern for the United States, which begins its World Cup campaign in South Africa against England on June 12, before meeting Slovenia six days later and finishing the group stage against Algeria on June 23.
The injury is a more immediate blow for Fulham as Dempsey's fellow striker Bobby Zamora is not set to return until March as he recovers from a shoulder injury.
Dempsey had produced Fulham's best effort in the first half at Blackburn when his overhead kick hit the crossbar.
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