Knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman, who has already had Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy under the knife in previous visits to the States, didn't quite get the result (like Newcastle in the InterToto on Saturday) he had hoped for.
The surgeon only repaired the cartilage rather than the damage to the cruciate ligament damage itself, which he ruptured playing for England against Sweden.
Owen will have further surgery in September, but had hoped for better results this time.
Owen: "I'm just hoping the next (operation) can be successful. I have to make sure the knee is in a fit state and the swelling is down. That way I can give myself the best possible chance of having the cruciate operation.
"The plan is to go back out there in six or seven weeks - hopefully, that will be the last I see of America. Maybe then there will be light at the end of the tunnel and I can head for a comeback."