USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey leaves Portland Thorns match with injury

This could potentially be very bad news for the USWNT and Portland

The last thing the U.S. women’s national team needs at the moment is a new injury for a starter, but that may just be the situation facing head coach Emma Hayes.

Defensive midfielder Sam Coffey, who has seized control of the No. 6 role for the USWNT since the World Cup, departed Saturday’s 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage before halftime with an apparent injury.

“I haven’t spoken to the medical staff,” Portland head coach Rob Gale told reporters after the match. “We’ll just have to see how she does. She had a bit of discomfort.”

Gale confirmed that Coffey was not injured while on international duty with the USWNT, stating that the issue happened “early in the game.” Coffey was substituted in the 36th minute, with Janine Beckie replacing her.

Early in the match, Coffey came to the Portland bench for a change of shoes, but the timing of her injury was not immediately apparent. The 25-year-old did not receive treatment from Thorns staff before departing against North Carolina, and was not listed on the team’s availability report on Friday.

Coffey joined her teammates on the bench in the second half, wearing a protective boot on her right foot.

Coffey injury could unsettle USWNT

The USWNT will face a tense wait on Coffey’s status, with Hayes’ 18-player Olympic roster set to be submitted in the coming weeks before send-off friendlies against Mexico and Costa Rica in mid-July.

At this point, an injury with a relatively short recovery time could potentially rule Coffey out.

In that case, Hayes could look towards Washington Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan — the team’s starter at last year’s World Cup — or youngster Lily Yohannes, who impressed in her U.S. debut last week. Hayes also called in Sullivan’s Spirit teammate Hal Hershfelt for a first-ever international camp, though the rookie did not receive a first cap in either win over South Korea.

It could also shore up Korbin Albert’s status, with the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder seen by the coaching staff as a possible holding option. Albert has been called up multiple times since a controversy involving sharing and participating in homophobic and transphobic posts on social media.

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