USWNT's Christen Press Reveals She Needs 4th ACL Surgery: ‘Working Every Second of Every Day to Return’

Press said needing a fourth surgery is a “recovery nightmare," but recognized she's “given every ounce of my being to making it back"

USWNT star Christen Press announced Monday she’ll need a fourth surgery to try and fix the torn ACL in her right knee — an injury that has kept her off the field for more than a year and off this year’s World Cup roster.

Press, 34, described the scenario as a “recovery nightmare” in an Instagram post sharing the news, and said she’s “given every ounce of my being to making it back.”

The Los Angeles native was part of the USWNT’s back-to-back World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019. But Press tore her right ACL last June while playing with her NWSL team, Angel City FC.

Despite three knee surgeries, Press is still on the mend.

“Until the roster was announced, there wasn’t a day that passed over the last year that I didn’t believe I could be there. Even after three surgeries.”

But in February, her surgeon and physical therapist told her to “let go of that dream.”

“I cried,” she recalled in her post Monday. “I nodded. And I thought I processed that loss. But, I also decided not to speak that truth into existence. I felt that if I shared that with all of you, I’d be manifesting it into reality. So instead, I stayed quietly hopeful. You never know what could happen, I’d say. Crazier things have occurred, I told friends.”

Related: USWNT's Kelley O'Hara on Her 'Special' Year Getting Engaged and Making Her 4th World Cup Team (Exclusive)

However, Press’ ongoing knee issues kept her off this year’s roster. The Women’s World Cup is set to kick off this week in Australia and New Zealand, as Press’ former USWNT teammates shoot for an unprecedented third-straight World Cup victory.

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The team is spearheaded by a number of Press’ former teammates, like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, and features more than a dozen new players like Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson who are making their World Cup debut.

Related: Alex Morgan Not Ready to Retire Like Teammate Megan Rapinoe: 'My Body Feels Good' (Exclusive)

A number of Press’ former teammates responded to her post, offering support.

“Whew sis, so real and honest. Everyone rootin for you I know that,” Rapinoe, 38, commented.

“Hang in there Press. Thinking of you,” wrote Carli Lloyd.

“Sending love your way pressy,” said Mallory Pugh Swanson, who is also sidelined with a torn patella tendon and will miss the World Cup.

Press, who is set to launch her new RE-CAP Show podcast with fellow USWNT alum Tobin Heath this week, said she’s not trying to view her knee surgeries as “setbacks.”

“I don’t like that language because it implies there is another path that I should have been on,” she said, adding that she trusts “that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

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