Thankfully for the Portland Thorns and the U.S. women’s national team, Sam Coffey’s injury absence was a short one.
Coffey returned to the field on Sunday night, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute in Portland’s 4-1 defeat against the Kansas City Current at Providence Park.
The midfielder was removed from a Thorns game two weeks earlier due to an ankle injury, and was spotted on the sideline in a walking boot.
Coffey missed the Thorns’ 0-0 draw with the Seattle Reign last weekend, but the 25-year-old returned on Sunday after just one full game out.
Coffey’s return will be a major boost for the USWNT and head coach Emma Hayes, who will name an 18-player roster for the Olympics at some point in the coming weeks.
The Thorns midfielder has become first choice at holding midfielder for the national team, starting eight of the USWNT’s 10 games thus far in 2024.
The USWNT will have its Olympic roster set when it faces Mexico on July 13 and Costa Rica on July 16 in a pair of warm-up friendlies.
The team will then travel to France, kicking off the Olympics on July 25 against Zambia. Hayes’ side will close out group play with games against Germany and Australia.
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