Getty The USWNT takes on France in the World Cup quarterfinal match.
Alex Morgan may have sustained an injury against Sweden, but the team has yet to announce the specific details of what happened. Morgan hit the ground on a challenge towards the end of the first half against Sweden. The forward appeared to be limping when she got up but remained in the match. When the second half started, Morgan was substituted out for Carli Lloyd who finished the match with the captain’s armband.
After the match, Morgan did not speak with the media but was not walking with a noticeable limp, per ESPN. U.S. manager Jill Ellis alluded to being cautious with the injury when discussing Morgan’s status after the game.
“Alex took a knock in the first half,” Ellis told ESPN. “And I just think it was more of, ‘Let’s be smart about this’ in terms of what we did.”
Given Morgan’s injury history, there is an understandable concern about her knee but it is not known if the latest injury is related. We will be updating this page as more details on Morgan’s status is released.
The USWNT will play in the knockout stage and hopefully will have their star player in the lineup. Prior to the match, Morgan admitted that the team was looking forward to getting a rematch against Sweden after being upset in the 2016 Olympics.
“I definitely look upon that for motivation and encouragement because I never want to feel the way that I felt after that tournament,” Alex Morgan explained to ESPN. “Looking ahead now, this team, the personnel is more from ’16. So we have to look at how we can turn around and continue to hold that No. 1 ranking and really prove what we’ve been working on.”
The USWNT Is Expected to Play Spain in the Knockout Stage
Nearly for @alexmorgan13!
#SWEUSA 🇸🇪🇺🇸
Barring a late comeback from Sweden, Team USA will take on Spain in their next match in the Knockout Round. The hope is that U.S. manager Jill Ellis was exercising caution in taking Morgan out of the lineup, and she will be back on the field against Spain. It is important to emphasize that Morgan initially stayed in the match against Sweden after the incident.
Alex Morgan Had Knee Surgery in 2015
46’ | #USWNT sub to start the half
➡️ @CarliLloyd
⬅️ @alexmorgan13
Morgan played in the USWNT’S final five World Cup matches in 2015 but later admitted to being limited in the games. The striker had knee surgery after the World Cup in 2015. Here is how the USWNT described the 2015 surgery in a press release.
U.S. Women’s National Team forward Alex Morgan underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her right knee this morning in Los Angeles to remove a plica, which is a small fold in the lining of the knee joint, that was causing her irritation…
A bone bruise in Morgan’s left knee caused issues leading into the Women’s World Cup, but the injury was successfully managed and resolved over the course of the tournament. Morgan played in all seven games for the USA, logging 434 minutes and started the final five matches.
USWNT fans will also want to keep their eyes on the status of Julie Ertz. The defender was held out of the match against Sweden as a “precautionary” measure for her injury, per Fox Sports.