TIMOTHY CHANDLER'S CAREER for both club and country appeared to be on an upswing but all that came crashing down on Saturday when he was stretchered off the field with a knee injury in the opening minutes of Nurnberg’s 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

Afterward, the club disclosed that the diagnosis was a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee, which would force the German-born 23-year-old to miss 8 to 10 weeks.

Chandler began the second half of the Bundesliga season with an air of optimism about him. His stellar play helped FC Nurnberg win consecutive games to start the second half of the Bundesliga season, as Nurnberg climbed out of the relegation zone and Chandler was named to the Bundesliga team of the week in both wins.

And the right people noticed Chandler's good form. United States national team head coach Jurgen Klinsman singled out Chandler’s strong play and revealed that the door was still very much open for his return to the national team. The last time Chandler played for the U.S. was in a World Cup qualifier in February 2013, when he struggled in a road loss against Honduras.

On a personal level, Chandler’s loss could not have come at a worse time. He likely would have been called up for the U.S. national team’s game against Ukraine on March 5th to make his case to Klinsmann that he deserves to be on the World Cup team. That contest is the team’s final friendly on a FIFA international date before the opening of World Cup camp. In other words, Chandler's chances of making the World Cup team suffered a devastating blow.

For Nurnberg, the injury is equally damaging, as the club looks likely to face an intense relegation battle the rest of the way. The club also lost starting forward Daniel Ginczek over the weekend on a season-ending injury.

There is no positive spin on this injury. It could not have come at a worse time for Chandler, Nurnberg, and a U.S. national team that is still seeking a solution at both fullback positions.