Canada’s Tajon Buchanan taken to hospital after injury at Copa America

Tajon Buchanan

Canadian midfielder Tajon Buchanan had to be taken to hospital after sustaining an injury to his lower leg on Tuesday while training for the Copa América quarterfinals with the men’s national soccer team.

The team is preparing to face Venezuela in the quarterfinals on Friday — the first time Canada has advanced out of the group stage of the Copa América, which is a South American tournament with guest teams.

Buchanan, 25, has been capped 40 times by Canada, scoring four times, and has featured in all three games at the Copa — both as a starter and off the bench.

In the last two years the native of Brampton, Ont., has gone from playing in the MLS (New England Revolution), to the Belgian league (Club Brugge) to a January transfer to Inter Milan of Italy’s Serie A.

Canada finished second in Group A at the Copa with a 1-1-1 record, scoring just once, and will face Group B winners Venezuela on Friday in Arlington, Texas, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Venezuela is currently 54th in FIFA’s world rankings, compared to Canada’s 48th, but has only lost once this year (2-1 to Italy in a friendly) and is undefeated at the Copa (3-0-0), having beaten Ecuador, Mexico and Jamaica.