Carli Lloyd’s night was over five minutes into her Houston Dash’s game with the Orlando Pride when she went down with a non-contact knee injury.
She tried to continue to play after the injury, but left the game a minute later for treatment. She was scheduled for an MRI on Sunday and results are due on Monday.
The Orlando Pride won their NWSL home opener in front of a record crowd of 23,403. That broke the previous mark of 21,144 fans set by the Portland Thorns twice in 2015 when they sold out Providence Park.
Lloyd’s injury occurred when she blocked a clearance by Orlando defender Laura Alleway. She landed awkwardly on her left leg while blocking the ball with her right foot. She immediately fell to the ground in pain.
Lloyd’s only previous serious injury was a broken ankle in 2010 while playing in WPS with Sky Blue FC. If her knee injury is significant it could adversely impact her availability for the Olympics this summer in Brazil.
Speculation was that the injury was to the MCL and not the ACL. That will be determined by the MRI, as will the extent of damage.