Orlando Pride's Alex Morgan Out for Remainder of NWSL Season With Knee Injury
Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan will miss the conclusion of the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League season due to a patella stress reaction in her right knee, the team announced Monday.
The stress reaction stemmed from a prior injury Morgan suffered this summer while with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
The USWNT co-captain responded to the news in an Instagram post shared Monday.
"This year has had the highest of highs but along with that comes challenges and sometimes even falling short of my goals I set for myself in 2019. I’m disappointed I won’t be able to compete with the Pride for the remainder of 2019 due to a knee injury I’ve been managing since the World Cup, and that I can’t be there to help my teammates and my club have more success. Thank you fans, friends, teammates, and teams for all your support. I have already started physical therapy in LA and am eager to get back on the field doing what I love."
“It’s obviously difficult to lose a player of Alex’s caliber due to injury,” Orlando Pride General Manager Erik Ustruck said in a statement. “However, after consulting with the Club’s medical team at Orlando Health and U.S. Soccer, we felt it was in the best interest of Alex’s long-term health to shut her down for the season to focus on the rehabilitation process and take the appropriate time to recover from the lingering knee injury.”
Morgan played in six matches for the Pride this season, playing in each of the four games prior to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she won the Silver Boot. She tied teammate Megan Rapinoe for the tournament lead with six goals. Following the title run–which marked Morgan's second World Cup victory–Morgan appeared in two more games before she sustained a concussion on Aug. 21 during the team’s match at Chicago.
Morgan, 30, currently holds 33 career NWSL goals with 18 of those coming with Orlando. The forward has recorded seven of her 18 NWSL assists with the Pride.
