USWNT Defender O'Hara to Miss 8-12 Weeks After Ankle Surgery

U.S. women's national team defender Kelley O'Hara is expected to be out eight to 12 weeks after surgery on her right ankle.

CHICAGO (AP) – U.S. women's national team defender Kelley O'Hara is expected to be out eight to 12 weeks after surgery on her right ankle.

U.S. Soccer says O'Hara had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday in Atlanta to remove ''loose bodies'' in the ankle.

She recently competed at the Concacaf World Cup qualifying tournament. The U.S. won the event and secured a spot in the World Cup next summer in France.

O'Hara will miss the team's final two games of the year in Scotland and Portugal next month.

O'Hara says in a statement: ''This is just the best time to get the procedure done so I'm 100 percent heading into 2019 and physically ready to perform at the level I want to and need to. It's a bummer that I won't get to Europe, but the most important thing is to be healthy for next year.''