Amy Rodriguez is pregnant and will miss the 2013 NWSL season. (Copyright Patricia Giobetti | http://www.printroom.com/pro/psgiobetti)
U.S. women’s national team forward Amy Rodriguez is pregnant and will miss the 2013 National Women’s Soccer League season, Seattle Reign FC confirmed late Tuesday night.
UPDATE: Rodriguez is due in August, according to U.S. Soccer. No. 1 NWSL draft pick (by the Chicago Red Stars) Zakiya Bywaters will replace Rodriguez in the upcoming national team camp.
The Equalizer’s and NBC’s Pro Soccer Talk’s Richard Farley reported the news Tuesday night and the team soon thereafter confirmed the news with a tweet.
Multiple sources telling me #USWNTer and Seattle Reign FC forward Amy Rodriguez is pregnant and is expected to miss upcoming #NSWL season
— Richard Farley (@richardfarley) January 30, 2013
@seattlereignfc forward @amyrodriguez8 is pregnant and will miss the 2013 NWSL season. Please join us in wishing Amy and her family the best
— Seattle Reign FC (@SeattleReignFC) January 30, 2013
The news is exciting for Rodriguez and her husband, Adam Shilling, but comes as a huge blow for a Seattle team that will already be without midfielder Megan Rapinoe for the first two-plus months of the season. Rapinoe is playing for Lyon until the end of the French season in June.
Rodriguez’s exit means that goalkeeper Hope Solo is the only U.S. national team player who, at this point, is slated to be on the field for Seattle on opening day on April 13. Farley also notes that Mexican international Teresa Noyola won’t be there for Seattle to start the season, which was also shortly thereafter confirmed by Seattle:
So Seattle will be w/o A-Rod, Pinoe, AND Noyola (committed to Europe) to start the year. They got screwed. Amy Carnell has her hands full.
— Richard Farley (@richardfarley) January 30, 2013
In addition losing A-Rod, we’ll also start the season w/o Rapinoe and Noyola, both of whom are playing in Europe will join Reign FC in June.
— Seattle Reign FC (@SeattleReignFC) January 30, 2013
In short, Reign FC could be in some real trouble if they don’t make some good free agency moves. Laura Harvey has a big task ahead of her and rookie Christine Nairn (No. 7 overall draft pick) just have inherited a much larger role on this team.
More: On ProSoccerTalk, Farley discusses what the news means for Seattle
