Onyewu plans a speedy recovery from knee surgery

It's been a few weeks since he ruptured his patellar tendon, but U.S. national team defender Oguchi Onyewu is already heading on the road to recovery.

"The surgery went well, I was told afterwards that it was textbook," said Onyewu, who is now rehabbing in California. "Everything went along well, I am feeling better each day."

Onyewu suffered the injury in the final World Cup qualifier of the hexagonal round in the dramatic 2-2 tie against Costa Rica on Oct. 14. The U.S. had already qualified for the World Cup next summer, but the match was a good way for U.S. coach Bob Bradley to maintain the fitness and game sharpness of certain players such as Onyewu. At club level, the defender has struggled for consistent minutes while acclimating to his new team, AC Milan. The injury has temporarily shelved his drive to crack into the Serie A side's starting 11.