Captain America's World Cup Collision

June 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Natal, Manaus and Recife- Each city is the site of a 2014 World Cup match in Brazil. Did you know though, that each location also has a recorded brutal match injury? Since the World Cup began on Thursday, June 12, 2014 there have been dozens of injuries recorded onto the FIFA injury list, but the most well known injury so far occurred during the USA- Ghana match on Monday, June 16 when #21, John Boye of Ghana swung his leg up and connected with “Captain America” Clint Dempsey’s nose. It was an injury that left most viewers wincing in pain, but it wasn’t enough for Captain America. Dempsey took a few moments to collect himself, and then jogged back on the field to continue the game. He is quoted,

“I think it is broken, I was having trouble breathing and I was coughing up blood a little bit. I felt fine and I kept going. I did feel tired, but hopefully I will be able to start breathing through my nose again and look forward to the next game.”

Dempsey did play in the next game, and then the next after that against Germany, where a German striker accidentally brushed upon his face, which incited minimal bleeding.
Dempsey’s nose is still broken of course, and he does have the option of wearing a protective mask a la Fernando Torres, but due to the heavy humidity of the Brazilian rainforests, Dempsey will most likely continue to refuse. In the long-run, this could be particularly damaging to his nasal heath as not having a properly reset nose could lead to breathing issues, uncontrollable bleeding, maxillofacial trauma, the inability to sleep comfortably, and the obvious cosmetic issue of having a twisted bridge. With soccer being ranked in the top 10 among the world’s most dangerous sports and physical activities, these players should exercise all the caution that they can while playing. Heading a ball, elbowing, a misplaced free kick, or even the soccer ball itself can all be hazardous to the nasal health of soccer players. Hopefully Dempsey’s teammate,Jermaine Jones will take more caution, as he too shattered his nose in the USA-Germany group of 16 elimination match yesterday afternoon.