<p>West Ham center forward Michail Antonio has claimed that he once prayed for himself to suffer an injury. The striker confessed as much during a recent appearance on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uK4wgcx7Ig" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">High Performance</a> podcast. While discussing a plethora of topics for about an hour, Antonio centered the conversation around mental health. </p>



<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/west-ham-tv-schedule/">Hammers</a> star revealed in the talk that a marriage divorce essentially led to fairly serious mental concerns. The off-field issue then seeped into his work as a successful professional athlete. Antonio joined the east London club for around $10 million back in 2015. </p>



<p>Looking back, the fee now seems like a fantastic bit of business for the team. After all, the striker has been a mainstay in the squad over the last nine seasons. Antonio currently holds the club’s record for most goals in the modern <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> era with 67.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
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<h2>Antonio prayed for an injury before suffering knee setback</h2>



<p>The West Ham star initially told the podcast hosts that the aforementioned divorce triggered an unhappiness with soccer. He even shared that the personal issue hindered his ability to properly celebrate his team’s triumph in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/conference-league-tv-schedule/">UEFA Conference League</a> final after the 2022/23 season.</p>



<p>This displeasure in the sport, however, continued long after helping his teammates lift the trophy. The unhappiness with his job affected the striker during the current campaign. Antonio even went as far as praying that he would get injured to receive ample time away from the pitch.</p>



<p>“I didn’t score from December (2023) until I think it was March, April time, (2024)” stated Antonio. “And I just felt run-down. And then I went away with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/jamaica-national-team-tv-schedule/">Jamaica</a> because I was enjoying football with Jamaica for some strange reason. But I actually prayed for an injury. I was like, ‘I just want to get injured, I want some time off.’ And then I went away with Jamaica, and I did my medial (knee ligament).”</p>



<p>“I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m 33, I can’t afford to be performing this way, otherwise I’m not going to get another contract.’ So, it’s all those things that spiral through your mind. You’re thinking, ‘Is this the end for me? Is this my football career over?&apos;”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240516_WST_507031_Michail-Antonio-injury-1200x670_ecce7d26.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-507074" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/05/Michail-Antonio-injury-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/05/Michail-Antonio-injury-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/05/Michail-Antonio-injury-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/05/Michail-Antonio-injury.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>Antonio eventually missed 18 total matches for club and country with the aforementioned knee injury. He was previously sidelined for about three months initially beginning in November of 2023.</p>



<h2>Michail Antonio is currently seeing a therapist to help with mental health</h2>



<p>Along with divorcing his now-former wife, Antonio also attributed his mental health concerns to the grueling demands of being a professional player. “Football’s just constant, you’re constantly just in it,” continued the striker.</p>



<p>“As soon as your life depends on it, as soon as you have people constantly berating you and criticizing you, it becomes a job. So, it doesn’t matter how good it is, it doesn’t matter how much you love the game, it becomes an actual job for you.”</p>



<p>FIFA and UEFA have received backlash in recent years for their insistence to continually expand their tournaments. The global governing body of the sport recently opted to increase the total number of teams involved in both the World Cup and Club World Cup competitions. UEFA, on the other hand, previously introduced the third-tiered Conference League, and will soon expand the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/champions-league-tv-schedule/">Champions League</a>.</p>



<p>While Antonio admitted to having been in a dark place mentally, he also revealed that he is in therapy. The ongoing weekly discussions with the therapist are helping the striker deal with the concerns. </p>



<p>Antonio and West Ham will finish off their 2023/24 with a huge trip to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-city-tv-schedule/">Manchester City</a> this weekend. The Hammers could play a significant part in the Premier League title race with a shock victory in Manchester. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a> is currently two points behind league leaders City with just one match remaining on the schedule.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

West Ham striker prayed for injury amid mental health issues

West Ham center forward Michail Antonio talked about his mental health struggles and his prayers of an injury to receive time away.

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
<p>Some things in life are just meant to be. After Friday night’s 2-0 win by the US over Mexico, it certainly seems like <em>Dos a Cero</em> is one of them.</p>
<p>The U.S. played home World Cup Qualifiers against Mexico in the state of Ohio a total of six times. The first five occurred in Columbus, while Friday’s contest happened in Cincinnati. In those six games, the USMNT has five wins and one loss. All five of those wins played to a now-famous scoreline. The United States, 2, Mexico, 0.</p>
<p>That lone loss came in 2016, during the fateful 2018 World Cup Qualifying cycle. Apparently, the USMNT righted the wrongs of years prior. Now, Gregg Berhalter’s squad turns its attention to an away qualifier against Jamaica.</p>
<h3>Building off the win</h3>
<p>Friday night was the third win this year for the US against Mexico. Moreover, each win came in a competitive game.</p>
<p>But, the win on Friday night differed from both the Nations League Final and the Gold Cup Final. The U.S. acted as the aggressor. It was the more dominant team instead of the tactic of absorbing pressure and nicking a goal. This shows in the statistics of the game. While possession came out just about even after 90 minutes, the Americans shot the ball 10 more times than Mexico. Albeit, they only had one more shot on target than their rivals.</p>
<p>Sure, the U.S. dominated, especially in the second half. However, a certain player still provided the difference on the scoresheet. Gregg Berhalter made the surprising move on Thursday of announcing that Pulisic would not be starting. At the time, it caused some consternation. Yet, it looked quite genius as Pulisic gave the U.S. a one-goal lead minutes after replacing the hard-working Brenden Aaronson.</p>
<div id="attachment_356681" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-356681" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-356681 size-medium" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20211116_WST_357033_d0a77d91dafac4873b377c92522e9a03c8e58e52-300x199.webp&amp;width=300&amp;height=199" alt="" width="300" height="199" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/11/d0a77d91dafac4873b377c92522e9a03c8e58e52-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/11/d0a77d91dafac4873b377c92522e9a03c8e58e52-600x398.jpg 600w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/11/d0a77d91dafac4873b377c92522e9a03c8e58e52-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/11/d0a77d91dafac4873b377c92522e9a03c8e58e52.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-356681" class="wp-caption-text">Photo Credit: AFP</p></div>
<p>Things got even better with five minutes to play. Weston McKennie bagged his first World Cup Qualifying goal to ice the game for the USMNT. Again, with a scoreline of 2-0.</p>
<p>Now, the U.S. faces off with a team they beat 2-0 in their first meeting. All time, the United States holds a comfortable series lead with 19 wins, eight draws and just three losses. Also, this is the fourth time these two nations will play this calendar year. In 2021, the U.S. won all three of their games against Jamaica.</p>
<h3>Jamaica</h3>
<p>When these two nations met in October, things look bleak for the Jamaicans. The nation failed to win any of their first three qualifiers. Additionally, it had issues getting their full complement of players due to various COVID restrictions and protocols.</p>
<p>Since their 2-0 defeat to the U.S. in Austin, Texas things look much brighter. Currently, Jamaica’s three-game unbeaten streak features five points on the bounce. A pair of draws, including against third-spot Canada, sandwich a road-win over Honduras. The nation’s last game yielded a draw against El Salvador, in which the hosts needed a 90th-minute equalizer to get a point.</p>
<p>Their roster for the November qualifiers resembles that of October with a number of players from the lower tiers of English soccer. Also, seven players based in the U.S. represent Jamaica. Interestingly, 35-year-old Adrian Mariappa, with one goal in 53 caps for the country does not play for any club.</p>
<p>Michail Antonio, who plays for West Ham United, scored his first goal for Jamaica. He looks set to be a serious goal threat for Jamaica going forward in World Cup Qualification.</p>
<p>In accordance with local COVID-19 guidelines, Tuesday’s game in Jamaica will be played without fans in attendance.</p>
<h3>Where things stand</h3>
<p>We are now at the halfway point in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying cycle. Remember, the top-three teams gain an automatic spot in the 2022 World Cup group stage. the Fourth-placed team enters an inter-confederation two-game playoff for a spot in Qatar.</p>
<p>Here are the current standings in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.</p>
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<th>Position</th>
<th>Country</th>
<th>Points</th>
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<td>1</td>
<td>United States</td>
<td>14</td>
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<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>Mexico</td>
<td>14</td>
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<td>3</td>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>Panama</td>
<td>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
<td>Costa Rica</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>Jamaica</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
<td>El Salvador</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>Honduras</td>
<td>3</td>
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<p>Tuesday’s game is from Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET</p>
<p>Coverage of the game is on Paramount+ and Universo.</p>
<p>This is the end of the November international break, meaning the USMNT and Jamaican players will not reconvene with their international sides for at least a month.</p>
<p>The next USMNT is an international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That game is scheduled for December 18 from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA.</p>


USA travels to Jamaica in an important World Cup qualifier. Will the USMNT be able to build on their convincing win against Mexico?

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West Ham striker prayed for injury amid mental health issues

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers

USMNT travels to Jamaica following huge rivalry win