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U.S. women’s national team forward Mia Fishel suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury in training, with veteran Alex Morgan called up as a replacement to the roster for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, U.S. Soccer said on Tuesday.
Chelsea‘s Fishel tore the ACL in her right knee during training on Monday, which opened the door for Morgan to be in the squad when the U.S. open their tournament on Tuesday against the Dominican Republic.
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“I’m gutted for Mia, and I know the team and the entire staff is as well,” said U.S. interim head coach Twila Kilgore. “She’s been very effective in camp and has worked hard to make an impact.
“Since she’s been getting call-ups to the National Team, she’s shown a tremendous growth mindset, a desire to absorb information and has been a total team player. I know she’ll come back strong and hopefully be in the mix for the next World Cup.”
When Morgan was left off the initial roster announced two weeks ago, it raised eyebrows and questions as to whether she would be with the team for this year’s Paris Olympics.
The 34-year-old Morgan, who has a reputation for producing big goals when the stakes are at their highest, has been a key member of U.S. teams that won two World Cups (2015, 2019) and an Olympic gold medal in 2012.
Morgan has won 215 caps, scoring 121 career international goals, placing her fifth on the U.S. women’s all-time scorers list.
“As we start this tournament, we’re fortunate to be able to add a player like Alex to the roster,” Kilgore added.
“Her accomplishments speak for themselves, she’s been training extremely hard with the [NWSL’s San Diego] Wave in preseason, and I know she’ll be more than ready to contribute in this tournament.”
Following their tournament opener, the U.S. will face Argentina on Friday before closing out the group stage against Mexico on Monday.
The top two finishers in each of the three Concacaf W Gold Cup groups along with the two best third-placed teams will qualify for the knockout stage.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.