NJ/NY Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós expressed his frustration with the timing of the 2024 W Gold Cup after he lost yet another U.S. women’s national team player to injury.
All three played for the USWNT as it won the inaugural W Gold Cup, which ran from February 20 to March 10. At issue for Amorós is the tournament’s placement right in the middle of the NWSL’s preseason, when players are not yet fully up to speed fitness-wise.
“We lost Midge during the game which for me is a bittersweet flavor,” Amorós told reporters after Sunday’s game. “By the way, it’s another player that came from the Gold Cup. Last week, it was Debinha. We are paying the consequences of a tournament that shouldn’t have happened.”
Last week, the Kansas City Current confirmed that Debinha would miss a handful of games with a hamstring problem, having suffered the injury after returning from Gold Cup duty with Brazil.
Amorós said he was unsure of the severity of Purce’s injury, with the 28-year-old forward set to undergo tests. While he doesn’t know the extent of the injury, Amorós had no doubt as to its cause.
“We’re talking about protecting the players, [who shouldn’t] go to play an international competition after one week of preseason,” Amorós said. “We’ve seen the consequences now. We’ve got Rose, Lynn, last week it was Debinha in Kansas [City] and now we have Midge. From my experience, the clubs are going to keep paying for that competition. Unfortunately, in this case, it was Midge and I hope it’s not too serious.”
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