Gotham FC and U.S. national team defender Emily Sonnett will miss the rest of the National Women's Soccer League season because of a ruptured patellar tendon.
Sonnet was injured early in Gotham’s 2-2 draw last week with the Portland Thorns.
“Emily has the full support of everyone at the club, and we will be with her every step of the way throughout her recovery,” Yael Averbuch West, Gotham's president of soccer operations, said in a statement Friday. “She is incredibly resilient, and we know she will return stronger.”
The injury is a blow to both the United States and Gotham. Sonnett, 32, joined Gotham ahead of the 2024 season and was on the squad that won last year's NWSL championship. She signed a contract extension in June that would keep her with the club through 2028.
She is the only player in the NWSL to play on three championship teams: Gotham (2025), Washington Spirit (2021) and the Portland Thorns (2017).
She was on the U.S. team that won the 2019 Women's World Cup, as well as the squad that won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She has played in 118 matches for the United States.
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FILE - Gotham FC defender Emily Sonnett in action against the Kansas City Current during an NWSL soccer match, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann,File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald's potential return to the Los Angeles Rams will not be decided while they are in training camp, but coach Sean McVay said the defensive lineman's status is “going in the right direction.”
“If there’s an arrow, it’s trending upwards,” McVay said Friday following the Rams' first practice in full pads.
The Rams are currently working out at Loyola Marymount University through Aug. 6, but McVay indicated any decision on Donald possibly ending his retirement would not come until they return to their facility in the San Fernando Valley.
“That’ll be something that, I think, once we get back to Woodland Hills, we’ll have a better idea of what that timeline looks like. There won’t be any decision and anything in terms of Aaron’s situation while we’re here. That’s kind of already been set out when we’ve talked for the past couple weeks," McVay said.
A three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Pro, Donald retired in March 2024 as the Rams' career leader in sacks with 111 in 154 games. One of the most disruptive linemen in league history, he helped Los Angeles win a title following the 2021 season. Donald made game-ending defensive plays in both the NFC championship game and the Super Bowl.
However, the Rams' trade for defensive end Myles Garrett has seemingly tempted Donald to at least consider a return. The 35-year-old Donald was photographed working out at the team's complex, and McVay has repeatedly expressed the organization's interest in welcoming him back.
“Heck of a player, Hall of Fame player, one of the best to ever do it at his position,” said tight end Tyler Higbee, who was Donald's teammate for eight seasons. “So, you know, we'll see. I hope he does (return), but we'll see. We'll see.”
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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, center, talks to his players during an NFL football training camp Monday, July 27, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
FILE - Former Los Angeles Rams player Aaron Donald looks on before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nov. 23, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
