U.S. Striker Wynalda Injured in Collision

Eric Wynalda, the U.S. national team’s all-time scoring leader, strained ligaments in his left leg during a Major League Soccer game Sunday and will be sidelined for three to four weeks.

The injury likely will cause Wynalda to miss the U.S. team’s key World Cup ’98 warmup game against Austria in Vienna on April 22.

The San Jose Clash forward injured the leg--the same one he had broken in Germany in 1994--when he collided with Dallas Burn goalkeeper Garth Lagerway during a shootout attempt at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto.

“I had my foot planted and he rolled into it,” Wynalda said. “It wasn’t his fault, though. I just got too close to him.”

Wynalda, who said he first feared the leg might be broken, will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage.

Dallas won the game, 3-2 in a shootout, in front of 10,069, getting goals from Ted Eck and Jason Kreis. Wynalda and Victor Mella scored for the Clash.