For the U.S. women’s national team, it’s a case of good news, bad news on the injury front.
Sophia Smith will be fit for the team’s Olympic match against Germany on Sunday, while Jaedyn Shaw will remain sidelined.
Per The Athletic, head coach Emma Hayes said that Smith was “fine” and would be involved in training on Saturday. Shaw, meanwhile, trained individually and will miss a second straight game.
The USWNT kicked off Olympics play on Thursday with a 3-0 win against Zambia, emerging from the match with a pair of injury concerns.
Just before halftime, Sophia Smith left the match with a suspected ankle issue. The extent of the injury wasn’t clear, but it appeared her removal may have been precautionary due to the USWNT being up three goals and a player already by that time.
Meanwhile, Shaw will remain sidelined with a leg injury that she suffered in training the day before the Zambia match. Just 90 minutes before Thursday’s game kicked off, U.S. Soccer announced that the San Diego Wave attacker would miss the match.
Croix Bethune was moved from an alternate to the active roster as a replacement for Shaw, and the Washington Spirit rookie appears set to be part of the matchday squad against Germany as well.
Like the USWNT, Germany also began the Olympics with a 3-0 win, defeating Australia easily in its opener.
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