The U.S. women’s national team has lost two potential starters to injury ahead of a crucial double qualifier in July for the World Cup and Olympics.
Forward Lynn Williams is out for the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League season with an “acute injury to her right leg,” her club, the Kansas City Current, announced Tuesday morning.
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Williams was injured in the Current’s opener of the NWSL Challenge Cup on March 18. The club declined ESPN’s request for more information about the nature of the injury, but said surgery is expected later this week.
That news comes just 18 hours after the Chicago Red Stars announced that defender Tierna Davidson is out for the NWSL season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. The club said she was injured during training last week.
The NWSL season launched with the Challenge Cup, a league-wide preseason tournament, on March 18, and the regular season begins on April 29. The NWSL Championship is set for Oct. 29.
The loss of both players is a setback for the USWNT, which is preparing for the CONCACAF W Championship set to start July 4 in Monterrey, Mexico. It will serve as the qualification tournament for both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
“We have four games left before World Cup and Olympic qualifying and it’s up to the players and staff to maximize every minute we get together on the field and in the meeting room,” said USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski. “We have quite a few injuries in our player pool that we are dealing with, but that also means more opportunities for other players and the chance to continue to deepen our roster as we continue to work to find the best combination of players to take to Mexico in July.”
To automatically qualify for the World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia and New Zealand, the USWNT must finish in the top four of eight teams in the tournament. But only the winner of the W Championship will automatically qualify for the Olympics in Paris.
The USWNT will continue preparations with a pair of friendlies against Uzbekistan on April 9 in Columbus, Ohio, and April 12 in Chester, Pennsylvania (watch live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET).
USWNT Squad for April Friendlies:
Goalkeepers (3): Bella Bixby (Portland Thorns FC), Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders (7): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Imani Dorsey (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit)
Midfielders (8): Lindsey Horan (Lyon), Jaelin Howell (Racing Louisville FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Catarina Macario (Lyon), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Samantha Mewis (Kansas City Current), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
Forwards (5): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC)
ESPN reporter Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.