Christen Press USWNT 2021Getty
Ameé Ruszkai

When did USWNT star Christen Press return from injury? Angel City forward's absence explained

The two-time World Cup winner picked up a serious injury in the summer of 2022 and endured a complicated recovery. When did she return?

U.S. women's national team star Christen Press is one of the world's most talented forwards, winning two Women's World Cup titles with her country and even playing in a Women's Champions League final during her time in Sweden with Tyreso.

However, the prolific goal-scorer recently spent more than two years out of action due to a devastating and complicated injury that was sustained in the summer of 2022.

What happened and when did Press return to action? GOAL has everything you need to know.

  • Christen Press Angel City 2022Getty

    When did Christen Press suffer her ACL injury?

    Press suffered an ACL injury in Angel City's 3-2 win over Racing Louisville on June 12, 2022.

    Her team trailed early in the game but turned things around to lead shortly after half time thanks to their star striker, who scored the equaliser and then assisted Savannah McCaskill's goal, Angel City's second of the day.

    McCaskill would go on to win the game 3-2 with a stoppage time effort, that coming some 30 minutes after Press had to be helped off the field by her team-mates.

    "My heart is broken," Press said on social media as she announced the severity of the injury.

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  • Alex Morgan USWNT SheBelieves Cup trophy 2023Getty

    What big games did Christen Press miss through injury?

    DateGameSignificance
    October 2, 2022Chicago Red Stars 2-0 Angel CityAngel City's final game of the season
    October 23, 2022OL Reign 0-2 Kansas City CurrentNWSL play-off semi-final
    February 23, 2023USWNT 2-1 BrazilUSWNT wins 2023 SheBelieves Cup
    March 27, 2023Angel City 1-2 GothamAngel City's season opener
    July 22, 2023USWNT 3-0 VietnamUSWNT's 2023 Women's World Cup opener
    August 6, 2023Sweden 0-0 (5-4P) USWNT2023 Women's World Cup last 16 match; USWNT's earliest ever exit

    Press' season ending early meant she was unable to contribute to Angel City's charge for a play-off place, missing the team's final 14 games of the campaign as it fell just short of making the post-season. She also missed the entire 2023 season and the start of the 2024 edition.

    Press has not represented the U.S. since August 2021, her last appearance coming in the bronze medal match at the Olympic Games in which Vlatko Andonovski's side beat Australia to third place.

  • Why did Christen Press not play at the 2023 Women's World Cup?

    Press did not play at the 2023 Women's World Cup because the USWNT roster was announced on June 21, before she had been able to return to action.

    Speaking on Futbol Americas in early May, the forward had not given up on making the roster. "There has never been a moment where I lost hope and that I took my focus off of that World Cup from the moment that I got injured until now," she said.

    "It's the North Star for all of us professional players and it's a motivation. Obviously, the timing's really tough but I'm doing everything I can to get back as quickly as possible because it would be a dream come true to represent my country again at that level."

    Sadly, though, Press was still working her way back to fitness by the time Andonovski chose his 23 players.

  • Mewis Rapinoe USWNT 2023Getty

    How did the USWNT and Angel City perform without Christen Press?

    While any attack would no doubt benefit from the talent and experience that Press can provide, the USWNT is blessed with a plethora of talented forwards right now and that depth has helped make up for several high profile absentees.

    However, a disastrous and disappointing 2023 Women's World Cup, at which the USWNT suffered its earliest exit in competition history when it lost in the last 16, saw the attack fail to click. There were many other problems at play, too.

    As for Angel City, the expansion team was in the play-off places before Press sustained her injury but would miss out come the season's end. It was a good first year for the club, though some star quality from their star striker in the second half of the campaign might have helped it be even better. In 2023, Angel City went one better and made the postseason, though it did fall short in the first round, losing 1-0 to Seattle Reign.

  • Christen Press 2022Getty

    When did Christen Press return from injury?

    In May 2023, Press appeared on ESPN show Futbol Americas and gave a positive update on her recovery, saying she was "in the final stretch" of it. However, just two months later, the Angel City star shared some devastating news on Instagram as she revealed that she needed a fourth ACL surgery in just 13 months.

    "I know I've given every ounce of my being to making it back. I also trust that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be," she wrote in an open statement. "For me, the hardest part of recovery has been that I feel misunderstood. In fact, I feel un-understandable.

    "I'm not anxious to get back on the field. My identity isn't lost by not playing. Most days, I don't even miss it. But that doesn't mean I don't want to get back. That I'm not working every second of every day to return to the pitch. That hard [part] is: I don't know what it does mean. My days are mostly good. I'm working toward my goal. And despite the fact that, on paper, this is an athlete's recovery nightmare, I feel in my heart that to climb the mountain - yes, even one more time - is the dream."

    Press finally made her long-awaited return to the field on August 2, as a substitute in Angel City's penalty shootout win over the San Diego Wave in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. The 35-year-old scored her spot-kick in the victory after making her first appearance for club or country in 781 days.

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