With just over a week until its World Cup roster is revealed, the U.S. women’s national team has a new injury worry.
Veteran winger Megan Rapinoe had to depart OL Reign’s 2-1 win over the Kansas City Current on Saturday with an apparent calf issue.
Rapinoe was in the starting 11 for the Reign, but within the first 45 seconds she could be seen touching her lower leg and trying to loosen up an issue that she suffered off the ball.
After a chat with the training staff and an attempt to jog it off as play continued, the Reign opted to make a change, with Veronica Latsko entering the game in the seventh minute.
“She’s OK, I think. I truly don’t know the severity of it,” OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey told the media after the game.
“I think if there wasn’t that (the World Cup) on the horizon, we might have handled it a little bit differently. I’m glad she could get out quickly and not have to push through it.”
USWNT roster reveal looms
With just over a month until the World Cup kicks off, even a fairly short-term issue at this point could keep a player from being fully fit for the tournament.
The Washington Post has reported that USWNT players will be informed if they’ve made the roster in less than a week, with an official announcement to follow shortly after.
USWNT World Cup roster will be announced sometime during the week of June 19 and camp opens June 26 in California. But from what I understand, players will be told whether they’ve made the cut next Thursday (June 15) after the three NWSL Challenge Cup matches are out of the way.
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) June 9, 2023
Rapinoe battled an injury earlier in 2023, missing the USWNT’s January camp. While it is possible that she simply experienced some calf tightness, a full-on strain would make it very difficult for the star of the 2019 World Cup to be available for this summer’s edition.
Losing out on Rapinoe would add to a long list of USWNT attackers who are on course to miss the tournament. Catarina Macario has ruled herself out after a torn ACL suffered in May 2022, while Christen Press — while not giving up on her chances of being available for selection — has not yet returned to play after a similar injury. Starting left forward Mallory Swanson suffered a torn patellar tendon in a USWNT friendly earlier this year, and in all likelihood is months away from taking the field again.
Rapinoe’s teammate for club and country, Rose Lavelle, has not played since April due to a knee injury, though she appears close to a return.
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