Alex Morgan pounds the ground after going down injured against Guatemala. (USA Today Images)
Alex Morgan is out 4-6 weeks with a sprained left ankle, U.S. Soccer confirmed Saturday. She will miss the remainder of World Cup qualifying.
Morgan went down injured in the 37th minute of the United States’ 5-0 win over Guatemala on Friday at Toyota Park outside of Chicago. She rolled her ankle after getting tangled with Guatemala defender Londy Barrios, and Morgan was initially diagnosed with a sprained left ankle. An MRI revealed no further damage, U.S. Soccer said.
“It’s unfortunate timing, but I know my teammates will take care of business and qualify for the World Cup and I’ll be watching from my couch,” Morgan said. “I have plenty of time to get healthy with a longer break coming up for the team so my job is to focus on the rehab and get back healthy as soon as I can.”
Morgan sprained that same ankle ankle in October 2013 while training in San Antonio. She returned in a limited role as a substitute on Nov. 20 in a 4-1 win over Brazil in Orlando, Fla., but she re-aggravated the injury, which eventually turned into a stress reaction and kept her out of competitive play until mid-June, a nearly seven-month layoff.
In 77 matches with the U.S., 25-year-old Morgan has 49 goals. She cannot be replaced on the World Cup qualifying roster, so the U.S. will play the remainder of the tournament with 19 players. The Americans next play Haiti on Monday in their final group game, and will advance to the semifinals with a win or tie. The top three teams qualify directly for the 2015 World Cup.
