Women’s World Cup will be played without these top players
Four Americans, including leading scorer Mallory Swanson, are among several high-profile players who will be sidelined for the tournament because of injury.
Just as the United States appeared to solidify its front-line starters for the Women’s World Cup, the team was thrown by the loss of Mallory Swanson to a knee injury.
Swanson was injured in early April during an exhibition match against Ireland. She cried in pain as she went down and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher in Austin, Texas.
The next day, the national team announced the news: Swanson had torn the patellar tendon in her left knee and required surgery. While no timeline was given for her recovery, the World Cup was happening just too soon for a comeback.
Swanson was the team’s leading scorer this year with seven goals and a six-game scoring streak, tied for fourth longest in team history. The 25-year-old forward had formed a solid front line with Sophia Smith and Alex Morgan.
Swanson joined a long list of high-profile players who will miss the Women’s World Cup. England, considered one of the contenders for the title, has been especially hard hit.
CATARINA MACARIO (United States)
Macario, who plays for French club Lyon, tore the ACL in her left knee in June 2022 during the final match of the 2021-22 season. While there were hopes she could come back in time for the World Cup, she announced in May that she wouldn’t be ready.
The talented midfielder, who was born in Brazil but moved to the United States as a child, has eight goals in 17 matches for the national team.
“I’ll be cheering hard for my teammates at the World Cup, and I look forward to dedicating myself to fight to earn a spot for what I hope will be a long future on the U.S. national team,” Macario said.
FRAN KIRBY (England)
Kirby was injured while playing for Chelsea against West Ham on Feb. 9. After trying to rehabilitate the injury, it was determined that Kirby needed surgery and would miss the World Cup.
Kirby has 17 goals in 65 appearances for England, starting all the team’s games in the run to the Euro 2022 title.
LEAH WILLIAMSON (England)
The Arsenal defender tore her ACL in April during a match against Manchester United and required surgery.
She has appeared in 43 matches for England, and served as the captain for the squad that won Euro 2022.
“I had tears in my eyes and made peace with it the night it happened and since then I have been following the steps I’m told to in order to best help myself in the short and long term,” Williamson said in an Instagram post.
BETH MEAD (England)
Mead’s absence is yet another blow to England.
There were hopes she might be back in time for the World Cup after an ACL injury in November. But England coach Sarina Wiegman confirmed Mead wasn’t ready when she announced the 23-player squad for the tournament.
“I’m not willing to take that risk to push her too much and she gets injured again,” Wiegman said. “We need to take care of players.”
VIVIANNE MIEDEMA (Netherlands)
Miedema suffered a knee injury and was taken off the field on a stretcher while playing for Arsenal in a women’s Champions League match against Lyon in December.
The 26-year-old Miedema is the Dutch national team’s all-time leading scorer and helped the Netherlands reach the final of the 2019 World Cup. She has scored 95 goals in 115 international appearances.
DELPHINE CASCARINO (France)
Cascarino left the field in tears when she was injured in Lyon’s 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in May to secure the French league title. She later learned she had torn her right ACL.
Cascarino has scored 14 goals in 56 appearances for her national team.
JANINE BECKIE (Canada)
Beckie tore a ligament in her right knee while playing in a preseason match for the Portland Thorns.
Beckie has played for the national team since 2014. She made her 101st appearance for Canada in a game against Japan in the team’s last match of the SheBelieves Cup this year. Overall, she has 36 goals for Canada.
BECKY SAUERBRUNN (United States)
The U.S. captain has a lingering foot injury that will keep her at home while her teammates vie for a third straight World Cup title.
The 38-year-old defender is considered among the top players in the world at center back and anchored the backline for the World Cup champions in 2015 and 2019.
“I had hoped and worked and hoped some more to make it back in time to help lead the team at this World Cup, but after lots of discussion, unfortunately, there’s just too much variability in my return to play timeline,” she wrote in a statement on social media.
SAM MEWIS (United States)
Mewis last played for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Afterward, she had a procedure on her right knee.
But the injury lingered and Mewis announced she had surgery in January.Mewis was on the U.S. team that won the World Cup in 2019. A regular on the national team since 2016 with 83 appearances, she was named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year.
KATIE ROOD (New Zealand)
Rood, who plays in Scotland, was hoping to make New Zealand’s squad and play in soccer’s biggest tournament on home soil. But she recently announced she had joined the “ever-growing ACL club. “
The 30-year-old forward has five goals in 15 appearances for New Zealand.