Two Olympic hopefuls from the U.S. women’s national team have already joined the team’s growing injury list this weekend.
Gotham FC and USWNT defender Tierna Davidson left a game against the Washington Spirit early Saturday with an apparent hamstring issue. She left without help but was eventually replaced by teammate Sam Hiatt. During halftime, Davidson was walking around. She was still on the team’s bench at the start of the second half.
Midway through the first half, Davidson had sprinted towards goal to cover a run by Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, but stopped without any contact and called for a trainer. She left the field a few minutes later but did not return to the match.
Davidson’s exit comes less than 24 hours after San Diego Wave forward and USWNT teammate Alex Morgan left a game against Orlando Pride early due to an ankle injury following a tackle on the goal line.
Both incidents add to a growing list of injuries to the USWNT. Wave defender Naomi Girma and forward Jaedyn Shaw played 58 minutes for San Diego on Friday. Girma continues to recover from a muscle injury suffered during the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup match against Japan earlier this month, while Shaw continues to be closely monitored by her club and national team due to of what Wave head coach Casey Stoney called “a problem.” »
“Before she went with SheBelieves, it wasn’t an option for me (to play her for 90), I wasn’t protecting her,” Stoney said before the Orlando game. “She was actually injured before this tournament. So we were limited, medically advised to only play it half an hour in a match, and I think we pushed it to 40. So it wasn’t something we wanted to do. But it’s something we had to do. It’s a long season; trying to look after her for the club is my priority. And obviously, she also has the Olympic Games in mind.
All four players are in the running to make USWNT head coach Emma Hayes’ 18-man Olympic roster with less than 100 days until the tournament in France. The United States will face Zambia in its first Olympic Group B match on July 25.
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Although Davidson only recently returned from an ACL injury in 2022 and a facial fracture last year, the defender has become Girma’s preferred partner under interim head coach Twila Kilgore . Injuries could call into question at least the inclusion of Davidson and Morgan in Hayes’ first camp, which begins May 28. Hayes’ first match in charge will be June 1 in a friendly against South Korea.
(Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports)