Sam Kerr’s ACL injury update, Spirit hires Champions League-winning coach: Full Time

I’m too stressed for anything quippy here. I’m Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan and Steph Yang — welcome to Full Time!

This is the digital version of Full Time. If you want it earlier, start every week with Full Time delivered to your inbox. Sign up here. 

More Knee Injuries

Sam Kerr has suffered an ACL injury.

This isn’t how I wanted to start the newsletter. I wanted to begin by talking about Friday’s NWSL college draft, the Washington Spirit hiring a Champions League-winning coach and Emily Fox joining Arsenal. I will get to all of that, but first I have to address another ACL injury in women’s sports.

Just this morning, Steph Yang wrote about how NWSL is looking to combat “a lack of understanding of female physiology” in women’s soccer. She spoke to NWSL sports performance professionals and the league’s chief medical officer to see how they are prioritizing player health and performance. Research, and lots of it, was key in each professional’s mind as to how to improve the women’s game on and off the field.

GO DEEPER

How NWSL is combating 'a lack of understanding of female physiology' in women's soccer

It’s raining and I’m bummed about another player’s injury, so here’s a photo of USWNT forward Cat Macario returning to training. The other Chelsea player looks close to a return for her club after a lengthy recovery from … you guessed it … a knee injury.

Work, work, work. 👊 pic.twitter.com/YCA8qIJevZ

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 8, 2024

Meg’s Corner: The pain of yet another injury

Maybe we should have been more clear about those New Year’s resolutions last week and sent some aspirational vibes out into the universe for everyone’s ACLs. Instead, here we are, starting 2024 with news of another devastating ACL injury, this time to Kerr.

Chelsea was one of the first clubs to tailor training around players’ menstrual cycles to try to minimize the risk of injuries and generally the club has had a pretty good track record avoiding the dreaded ACL tear/rupture. Losing Kerr, 30, is a very tough blow ahead of the second half of Emma Hayes’s final season before she shifts into her new role as USWNT head coach.

While we don’t yet know the full extent of the injury, it’s also hard not to think of Kerr’s chances for this summer’s Paris Olympics, following a World Cup last year that she almost entirely missed due to injury. The usual recovery timeline for an ACL tear is 7-8 months, and that’s on the optimistic side. The Olympics begin in about seven and a half months.

“With her ability to lead by example, Sam’s guidance and influence on the team is significant and, as a result, this will be an incredible loss for the national team,” Australia women’s national team coach Tony Gustavsson said. “Our focus now is on ensuring she has all the support she wants and needs to navigate recovery and rehab.”

It’s very frustrating to watch this unfold, even after so much attention was paid to what many considered an “epidemic” of injuries. Vivianne Miedema wrote about her ACL injury on The Athletic last summer, saying that first and foremost, the sport needs to consider the playing calendar, but that there needs to be more research and larger medical staff too.

Miedema also asked, “What are we doing to protect the current generation of players in the meantime?” Kerr’s injury is a reminder that there’s still a lot more to be done.

GO DEEPER

The real and emotional impact of ACL injuries on female elite players

NWSL News

Spirit hires Champions League-winning coach

It’s becoming increasingly hackneyed to say Spirit owner Michele Kang has grand ambitions for global women’s soccer, but I’m not sure how else to describe her record as owner of three teams across three countries — two of which are at the highest level of competition.

That ambition is reflected in the Spirit’s head coach hire: three-time FIFA’s Best Coach award nominee Jonatan Giraldez. The former Barcelona Femení manager led the Liga F side to its second Champions League title last season.

GO DEEPER

Washington Spirit names Giraldez as new head coach

While Spirit fans might have started to feel neglected after Kang announced her stake in Lyon Women in France and the London City Lionesses in England, Wednesday’s news proves she hasn’t forgotten about her first sports investment.

Kang has made many moves to improve the infrastructure of the Spirit, including hiring sport science and performance manager Dawn Scott, as well as moving the team to Audi Field to play its home games at a professional soccer stadium after years in the substandard confines of the Maryland SoccerPlex and Segra Field.

Still, the team has struggled on the field. The Spirit won the NWSL Championship in 2021 before Kang took full control of the team but has since failed to make the playoffs for the past two seasons. Giráldez will surely be keeping in mind that his predecessor, Mark Parsons, was fired without much ceremony two days after the Spirit lost a game they needed to make playoffs, with no chance to talk about rebuilding or changing in the offseason.

Emily Fox joins Arsenal

*Using my best Nickelback impression*: Look at this photograph

Notice anything in the background of this (now-deleted from Getty) picture, Arsenal fans? 🦊😉 pic.twitter.com/NLZTSGeVKP

— Women’s Transfer News (@womenstransfer) January 7, 2024

Yes, that appears to be USWNT defender Emily Fox just out of focus behind Arsenal’s Beth Mead and Leah Williamson. Fox, who is a free agent and most recently played for the North Carolina Courage, is expected to sign with Arsenal this window.

The photo in question appeared on Getty Images by photographer David Price on Sunday. The problem was that Fox had not been officially announced at the time the photos were posted to the agency’s website. The photo was quickly removed, but not before internet sleuths took notice.

Right back has been a priority position for Arsenal since the summer, after Laura Wienroither’s ACL injury in May.

Fox has 39 appearances with the USWNT and one goal. She was part of the 2023 World Cup run, starting all four U.S. matches. Once her move to Arsenal is complete, she will be one of four USWNT players in the WSL, alongside Macario and Mia Fishel at Chelsea and Kristie Mewis at West Ham.

Arsenal’s first game of the new year is in the FA Cup against Watford on Jan. 14.

Courage adds Bianca St-Georges

The exodus of players from the Chicago Red Stars continued on Monday, with Bianca St-Georges signing a two-year deal with the Courage. While the Canada international isn’t as prominent as former teammates-turned-free agents Tierna Davidson or Casey Krueger, she’ll be sorely missed as the team enters a new era under head coach Lorne Donaldson. St-Georges can play as a right back but was best utilized in Chicago as a right midfielder or winger. Wherever she lined up, her mission was clear: bring the ball as far up the pitch as the opponent would allow.

• In 2023, 25% of St-Georges’ carries were progressive, a rate that puts her just between Trinity Rodman (26.8%) and Debinha (24%).
• Only nine NWSL players had more combined game-winning goals and assists than her three, including new teammate Tyler Lussi.

It’ll be interesting to see if Courage head coach Sean Nahas tries to drop St-Georges back into a full back role — North Carolina did the bulk of its attacking down the right, with a 42.3% share of its attacking touches in that third — or if she’ll be asked to cut onto her stronger right foot as a left winger. Either way, she should help the Courage with their progression and come up with timely contributions around the box, a savvy pickup for a team with title-winning ambitions.

— Jeff Rueter

NWSL Draft

On Friday, 14 teams will participate in the four-round NWSL college draft of 56 selections. Not every team has the same picks or will even use all their picks on actual players as trades can happen during the draft itself (may the dreaded timeout clock spare us all this year).

Things kick off in Anaheim, California (directly across the street from Disneyland!) on Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. The Utah Royals hold the first overall selection. The event is open to the public with live coverage on ION and streamed on ION plus. Brace yourself as the festivities could go as late as midnight ET.

You can also stick with The Athletic as Meg and Steph will be on the ground from Disneyland…err…the Anaheim Convention Center.

Player registration closed Monday at midnight, with the complete list of registered players here. For standouts, check out The Athletic’s players to watch.

Many of the biggest international and domestic stars played college soccer, and several NWSL coaches also learned their trade in the collegiate game. The system has long played a significant role, but as pro leagues evolve and the economics of the college game change, so too does its role in the wider ecosystem of the sport. This offseason, The Athletic took a look at four unique stories from the college game:

• How Florida State head coach Brian Pensky stepped in, mended fences, and won another national title
• Under Kia McNeill, Brown is dominating Ivy League women’s soccer by exalting the uncommon
• The Athletic contributor Tamerra Griffin spoke to Stanford midfielder Maya Doms and BYU defender Laveni Vaka about what it means to have new NWSL teams in their backyards
• After success at NCAA and World Cup levels, Randy Waldrum has turned Pitt into a contender

Sign up for our other newsletters:

The Bounce 🏀 | The Windup ⚾ | Prime Tire 🏁 | Until Saturday 🏈 | The Pulse

(Photo: Harriet Lander, Getty Images)