Olivia Moultrie's torn ACL, suffered at the start of this month, has left the USWNT with a thinning midfield pool ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The Portland Thorns midfielder fills a role few in the US player pool can match, and she is in a race against time to be fit for Brazil.
Recovery timeline and World Cup countdown
The 2027 World Cup kicks off in 302 days, and Moultrie's recovery has only just begun. ACL injuries have a recovery timeline of nine to 12 months, which would put her on a crash course to be ready for the tournament, set to commence on 24 June in Brazil. Even the short end of that timeline would put her back on the pitch a mere month before squads are due.
Moultrie is no stranger to setting her own timeline. Half a decade ago, her desire to go pro at age 15 helped change NWSL rules, which previously forbade teams from signing players under 18. The ensuing five years have seen her go from one of the country's top prospects to a high-level midfielder.
Impact on Portland Thorns
In the short term, Moultrie's injury is a major setback for a Portland team aspiring to win their fourth NWSL championship. Her partnership with Jessie Fleming made for one of the league's most balanced and dependable engine rooms. Often the most advanced midfielder in a trio with Fleming and either Cassandra Bogere or Nina Nijstad, Moultrie served as the heartbeat of the team in possession.
In 1,312 NWSL minutes this season, she notched double-digit goal contributions (five goals and assists apiece) for the first time, playing herself into discussions for major year-end honors as part of a Thorns side who have already equalled last year's win total (11) with nine matches remaining.
Stats and development
Her ample professional seasoning at a young age – she has already logged 108 appearances in the NWSL despite being a month shy of 21 – has helped round out her game. She has also worked to cut out the kinds of fouls that young players can be easily baited into making, dropping from 1.32 fouls committed per 90 minutes in 2024 and 1.17 in 2025 to a mere 0.41 per 90 this year. She has also increased her scoring threat, from 0.18 non-penalty expected goals per 90 (per American Soccer Analysis) last season to 0.29 npxG/90 this year.
She's become the sort of do-everything midfielder who can work from box to box that the national team has largely missed since Sam Mewis's abrupt, injury-induced retirement. Moultrie also benefitted from considerable chemistry with projected starter Sam Coffey, having played alongside the now-Manchester City midfielder in Portland for much of their professional careers to date.
Potential replacements
There is no clear replacement. Perhaps the closest like-for-like would be Lily Yohannes. The 19-year-old has been ever-present since committing her international future to the USWNT in 2024, earning 20 caps and leaving Ajax for Lyonnes last summer. If she's a regular starter for Jonatan Giráldez when the 2026-27 season kicks off in September, it could make her the best fit to start at her first World Cup.
Another alternative is Claire Hutton, the 20-year-old who like Yohannes has emerged under Hayes, winning 20 caps despite only debuting in February 2025. Hutton predominantly operates as a defensive midfielder for Bay FC. The third obvious alternative is Lindsey Heaps, who left Lyonnes this summer to return to the NWSL with her home-state Denver Summit. The captain is one of the few remaining holdovers from the USWNT's most recent World Cup title, but has been in and out of Denver's lineup with swelling in her knee.
After a last-16 exit at the 2023 Women's World Cup, the program's earliest ouster to date, Hayes was hired to embolden the next generation of players. While Moultrie is one of the clearest examples of her coach's efforts paying off, an ill-timed injury risks leaving her on the outside looking in as the team aim for redemption next summer.
