Written by
The Sports Network
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - United States women's national team defender
Ali Krieger suffered a torn ACL and MCL in her right knee, it was confirmed on
Saturday.
Krieger sustained the injury in Friday's 14-0 win over the Dominican Republic
in a CONCACAF Olympic women's qualifying match when she was the victim of a
reckless tackle.
The injury will require surgery that is expected to keep Krieger out of action
for 6-8 months, likely preventing her from taking part in the Olympic
tournament in London this summer.
"I feel so unfortunate and I wouldn't wish this on anyone, especially to have
it happen in a match where we were in control," said Krieger. "Soccer is a
funny game and this is part of being an athlete. It's unfortunate that the
timing is really bad, but this team is about way more than one player and I
know with all the support from my teammates, my family and friends and from
U.S. Soccer, I will come back stronger than ever. It's going to be a fun year
and I'll be with the team in spirit the whole way, even if I have to be a
vocal leader, just sitting and watching."
The 27-year-old is coming off of a strong World Cup campaign in which she
played every minute of every game as the United States reached the final
before losing to Japan.
Krieger has been capped 26 times by the U.S., but the team will be unable to
replace her on the Olympic qualifying roster because changes are not allowed
once the tournament has started.
The Sports Network