- Red Stars defeat Royals 3-1
- Naeher removed with injury
- USWNT backline not looking good
WHAT HAPPENED?
The 36-year-old was substituted in the 62nd minute for backup goalkeeper and NWSL debutant Mackenzie Wood after pulling up following a defensive recovery. The USWNT veteran was moving gingerly after sprinting back to her box to defend a Utah Royals counter and was removed from the match. The Red Stars went on to win the match, though, courtesy of a goal and an assist from USWNT star Mallory Swanson.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Hayes’ first USWNT camp will begin this June, with a double-slate of matches against South Korea as her first games in charge of the team. However, the backbone of the squad has been hit hard of late, with injuries piling up.
Starting central defenders Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson remain out with their respective injuries – and now Naeher has been added to that group, too. Longtime striker Alex Morgan is also sidelined.
The status of Naeher has not been revealed yet, but Red stars boss Lorne Donaldson spoke briefly on his goalkeeper postgame Saturday, sharing that there’s still uncertainty around it all.
WHAT LORNE DONALDSON SAID
“I’m leaving it to the pros, I don’t know what’s going on yet,” the Red Stars boss said when asked about the status of Naeher. News surrounding the extent of the knock should arrive this week, though.
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WHAT NEXT FOR NAEHER AND THE USWNT?
The USWNT June camp will be announced over the final stretch of May, as Hayes and Co. prepare for the first stretch of warmup matches for the Paris Olympics. Right now, though, there are question marks around Naeher’s health in what could be a major blow for this summer.
