June 12, 2008 - The three most dreaded letters in the alphabet for a female athlete are A. C. L.
Veteran soccer player Cat Whitehill learned the hard way. The star defender dreamed of playing in the Olympics this year, joining a new women’s pro league next year and then playing for the U.S. in the London Games in 2012.
But Whitehill’s dream of earning a second Olympic gold medal was at least put on hold Tuesday as she injured her left knee as the Women’s National Team trained in Seoul, South Korea. An MRI on Tuesday night indicated that Whitehill had torn an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will miss the 2008 Olympics.
Whitehill, 26, played every minute of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She has played 129 times for the USA and was a likely candidate for the USA’s 18-player roster for the 2008 Olympics. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and also played a key role for the USA at the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Obviously, it’s a huge disappointment coming so close to a major tournament,” Whitehill said in a U.S. Soccer release. “I’ve gotten a lot of hugs from my teammates and everyone on the team has been really supportive. It’s still a shock, especially since it’s the first major injury of my career, but now it’s time to go home, have surgery and spend time with my husband and be a good mom to my dog. I’ll be watching the team and cheering in front of the TV.”
The blow to the U.S. team comes just 19 days after the USA lost midfielder Leslie Osborne, also a likely Olympic Team member, to an ACL tear. Whitehill will have about an eight-month period of rehabilitation. Defender Stephanie Cox will travel to South Korea to replace Whitehill on the roster for the Peace Queen Cup as well as in the pool of 22 players being considered for spots on the 2008 Olympic Team.
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