Uruguay player carried off after head-on smash with US rival during Copa America game

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

A soccer player from Uruguay was stretchered off the pitch in a neck brace after he and an American rival crashed into each other head-first during a Copa America match on Monday.

Maximilian Araújo and Tim Ream, a defender on the US team, were involved in the incident which left both men on the ground.

Video of the collision shows Araújo’s head snapping back from the impact, and after he hits the ground, he can be seen holding the front of his neck.

Medical staff rushed on to the park to treat the 24-year-old player before calling for a stretcher and a neck brace. Araújo was carried off the field with a doctor stabilizing his neck the entire way.

Though shaken by the collision, Ream does not appear to have been injured. Araújo was replaced by Cristian Olivera for the remainder of the match.

At halftime, Uruguay issued an updated on Araújo’s condition, saying that he was fine and that tests would be run to ensure there were no lingering issues resulting from the collision.

“Maximiliano Araújo is fine, he had to be replaced due to a head injury. The corresponding studies will be carried out,” the post said.

The US ultimately lost the match 1-0, which knocked them out of the international tournament.

On Tuesday, the Uruguayan Football Association reported Araújo’s test results.

“In the match against the United States on Monday, July 1, footballer Maximiliano Araújo suffered a head injury in the 26th minute and had to be substituted. After the first medical procedures at the Stadium, he was transferred to the hospital … to undergo the relevant tests,” according to a post translated from Spanish to English. “The imaging studies performed did not show any injuries . His progress will be monitored.”

Rodrigo López, a player-agent who has worked with Araújo, told sports radio show 100% Deporte that the player underwent a CT scan and an MRI, both which “came out fine”.

He said that there were no fractures detected and that Araujo spoke normally. When asked if Araújo would play in his club team, Toluca’s quarter-final match against Guadalajara on Saturday, López said that “everything depends” on the opinion of the national team’s medical staff.

“They are all very optimistic. The reality is that we have to wait, although on Monday night everyone was optimistic that he would recover well,” López said.

Copa America, which takes place every four years and includes teams from North and South America, and the Caribbean, began on June 20 and will run to July 14.