United States women’s national team forward Alex Morgan had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee and will miss 3-4 weeks, according to U.S. Soccer and her club team, Portland Thorns FC.
The surgery was to remove a plica, which is a small fold in the lining of the knee joint, that was causing Morgan irritation.
Thorns coach Paul Riley had alluded to an injury for Morgan last Saturday, saying that Morgan would not be ready for Wednesday’s home game against Seattle, which is expected to be a full-stadium sellout of 21,000 fans.
Morgan’s knee injury marks the fourth significant layoff for the 26-year-old in the past two years. She missed two months of action in the buildup to the 2015 Women’s World Cup with a bone bruise in her left knee, but she recovered in time to play in all seven matches, starting five and scoring once en route to the United States’ record third World Cup title.
In October 2014 at World Cup qualifying, Morgan sprained her left ankle and did not return to competitive action until February 2015. That injury was to the same ankle that kept her out nearly seven months from the end of 2013 into June 2014 after a sprain developed into a stress reaction.
Morgan has 52 goals in 91 appearances for the United States. She was the third-fastest player in U.S. history to score 50 goals, needing only 64 matches to reach the mark.
She has played in only one game for Portland this year, logging 75 minutes in the season opener. The Thorns currently sit 7th in the nine-team NWSL, four points out of a playoff spot just past the halfway point of the season.
The United States begins its 10-game World Cup victory tour on August 16.