U.S. women's soccer team goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris out eight weeks due to quad injury
She will miss the U.S. women's team's upcoming trip to Europe. Her projected return to the field is just days before a summer tournament with Australia, Brazil and Japan.
Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris will miss up to eight weeks of play due to a "quad injury near the hip," a club spokeswoman told the Orlando Sentinel.
Harris went down in the 24th minute of the Pride's 1-1 draw Sunday against the Seattle Reign. She was evaluated by the club's medical team Tuesday morning and given a timeline for recovery.
Newly-signed goalkeeper Caroline Stanley, brought on because backup keeper Aubrey Bledsoe was out last week due to concussion protocol, replaced Harris in the Seattle match. Stanley will stay on with the team while Harris recovers and will travel with the Pride to New Jersey for a match against Sky Blue FC on Saturday, according to the club.
Bledsoe is now cleared to play as well, so Pride coach Tom Sermanni will decide who to start moving forward.
The injury is an unwelcome setback for Harris, who captains the Pride and is competing for a starting role with the United States women's national team.
Hope Solo, 35, was the national team's starting goalkeeper for more than a decade until U.S. Soccer terminated her contract and suspended her for six months following a series of behavioral issues capped by her calling Sweden "a bunch of cowards" after an Olympic quarterfinal loss last summer. The controversial decision, coupled with Solo's age, created an opportunity for Harris, 31, and Alyssa Naeher, 29, who patiently excelled behind the scenes.
Ellis named Naeher, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars, backup keeper for the Olympics over Harris, but she said the decisions was like "splitting hairs."
Naeher won the role only because she played more while Harris recovered from an injury late last year, as previously reported by the Sentinel.
The two keepers maintain a healthy competition.