
It sounds like Canada midfielder Diana Matheson will be given the chance to get healthy in time for the World Cup on home soil, which begins on June 6.
“We think we can get her back,” Canada manager John Herdman said on Wednesday, via the Canadian Press. “Fingers are well-crossed.”
Matheson tore her left ACL in October and has since faced a race to get fit for the World Cup. She has appeared for Canada 166 times in her career and is the team’s playmaker in the middle of the field. Her recovery was ahead of schedule as of early March, but a recent foot injury caused a setback.
“One day she’s flying, the next day it’s a backward step,” Herdman said. Herdman told reporters that Matheson will be “given every chance,” which likely means she will be on the 23-player World Cup roster that Herdman will name on Monday. He said on Tuesday that he knows his roster after seeing the team scrimmage a boys youth side. Matheson was on the sideline on crutches for that game.
The 31-year-old midfielder will need to show that she can be ready for the opener. Final rosters for the tournament are due on May 27, even though Herdman will name his team on Monday. Injured players can be replaced on the roster up to 24 hours before the team’s first match of the tournament.
Matheson has previously recovered from a torn ACL in time for a major tournament, working her way back to fitness under a similar time frame to help Canada win the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Herdman said it on Wednesday and he said it in early March: “Fingers crossed” that Matheson can recover in time.
