In a devastating blow to the US Women’s national team, captain Becky Sauerbrunn has announced that she will miss the 2023 World Cup due to a foot injury. Sauerbrunn took to social media on Friday night to express her disappointment, stating that “there’s too much variability” in her return from the injury for her to be included in the squad.
The 38-year-old defender, who plays professionally for the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League, sustained the injury in April during a match against Racing Louisville FC. Although she briefly returned to play against the OL Reign on June 3, she has not been available for selection since.
Sauerbrunn has made 216 appearances for the national team and was named captain in 2021. She has played in three World Cups, winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019, as well as a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Sauerbrunn’s absence from the World Cup is a significant loss for the team, as she is widely considered to be one of the top players in the world at center back. Her leadership and defensive prowess were instrumental in the team’s previous World Cup victories.
The US women’s national team is expected to announce its full 23-player roster for the World Cup next week. The team will play a send-off match against Wales in San Jose on July 9 before departing for the tournament, which is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Sauerbrunn is not the only player that the USWNT has lost to injury. Left forward Mallory Swanson suffered a torn patellar tendon in a friendly earlier this year and is likely to miss the World Cup. Fellow forward Catarina Macario recently announced that she would also miss the tournament due to an ACL tear sustained while playing for her club team in France last year.
Despite the setbacks, the US women’s national team remains a formidable force and will be looking to win their third consecutive World Cup title. The team opens their campaign with a match against Vietnam on July 22 in Auckland.
As Sauerbrunn wrote in her social media post, “this program has always been about the collective,” and the team will undoubtedly be rallying together to overcome these challenges and bring home the trophy once again.
References
- https://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/news/becky-sauerbrunn-i-want-these-younger-players-to-know-what-it-s-like-to-win-a-wo
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/wusa/2023/04/09/mallory-swanson-injury-uswnt-star-suffers-torn-patella-tendon-knee/11631753002/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/worldcup/2023/06/16/uswnt-captain-becky-sauerbrunn-will-miss-world-cup/70331765007/
