USWNT star Mia Fishel has suffered a heartbreaking anterior cruciate ligament injury ahead of the Gold Cup.
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Chelsea star replaced in USWNT squad by MorganWill miss Gold Cup and OlympicsBig blow for Chelsea ahead of WSL & UWCL run-inGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The shattering news was confirmed by U.S. Soccer on Tuesday, with Alex Morgan set to replace the centre-forward in her nation's squad for the tournament. Morgan was controversially left out of the selection initially, but will now get the chance to help secure the trophy on home soil.
AdvertisementWHAT TWILA KILGORE SAID
USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore said: "I’m gutted for Mia, and I know the team and the entire staff is as well. She’s been very effective in camp and has worked hard to make an impact. Since she’s been getting call-ups to the National Team, she’s shown a tremendous growth mindset, a desire to absorb information and has been a total team player.
"I know she’ll come back strong and hopefully be in the mix for the next World Cup. As we start this tournament, we’re fortunate to be able to add a player like Alex to the roster. Her accomplishments speak for themselves, she’s been training extremely hard with the Wave in preseason, and I know she’ll be more than ready to contribute in this tournament."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The news is a bitter blow for Fishel, who has forced her way into the USWNT squad this season following a blockbuster move to the WSL champions from Mexican side Tigres. Chelsea will be equally devastated, having already lost star striker Sam Kerr to the same injury earlier this year. The goalscoring burden will now firmly be on January signing Mayra Ramirez, who arrived from Levante at the end of last month for a British-record fee.
WHAT NEXT?
The USWNT will have to cope without Fishel for their Gold Cup campaign, which kicks off this evening against the Dominican Republic. The 22 year old will return to Cobham to be assessed by her club in the coming days.