Gotham and USWNT defender Emily Sonnett to miss remainder of NWSL season after knee surgery
Gotham FC and longtime U.S. Women’s National Team defender Emily Sonnett underwent knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the NWSL season, the club confirmed Friday morning.
Sonnett appeared to injure herself while attempting to challenge forward Pietra Tordin in the seventh minute of Gotham’s 2-2 draw against the Portland Thorns at Providence Park on July 24. After lunging for the ball, Sonnett fell to the ground, grabbed her left knee and motioned to Gotham’s bench for medical assistance. She was subsequently stretchered off the pitch in the 12th minute.
It has now been confirmed that Sonnett ruptured the patellar tendon in her left knee.
“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 club statement. “She is incredibly resilient, and we know she will return stronger.”
It is unclear how long Sonnett’s recovery is projected to be. The NWSL season runs through the championship match on Nov. 21.
Since joining the club ahead of the 2024 season, Sonnett has become an anchor in Gotham’s back line. She has made 64 appearances for the club since then and helped lead the team to its second NWSL championship in 2025, the 2025 Concacaf W Champions Cup and the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup. She remains the only player in NWSL history to have won a league championship with three clubs (Gotham FC, Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns). In June, she signed a multiyear contract extension with Gotham through 2028.
Her quiet leadership has been invaluable for Gotham, which, this season especially, has struggled with maintaining a healthy backline. Key defenders Mandy Freeman and Bruninha recently made their long-awaited returns to the pitch, which will prove crucial for Gotham in the second half of the year. However, earlier this season, defender Kayla Duran, who Averbuch West said was meant to be a key part of this year’s roster, suffered a season-ending knee injury that cut her season short in April. The club also recently traded defender and 2025 NWSL rookie of the year Lilly Reale to the Boston Legacy.
For the USWNT, Sonnett’s absence also leaves a glaring hole in the playing pool. The World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist has recorded 118 caps for the senior team. Head coach Emma Hayes has relied heavily on Sonnett, who is one of the most experienced defenders in her rotation. She likely would have played an integral role in World Cup qualifiers this fall, which begin in November, six days after the NWSL Championship.
With Sonnett ruled out through the NWSL season, she is unlikely to be available for qualifiers. It remains to be seen whether this injury will also rule her out of next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Gotham’s acting head coach, Shaun Harris, confirmed with reporters Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s match against Bay FC, that Sonnett had undergone surgery, though he did not share any specifics.
“We’re really gutted and devastated that we’re losing such a key player in this moment in the season, but we wish her all the best,” Harris said Tuesday.
Harris also shared that Sonnett returned to New Jersey early to tend to the injury. Gotham is on a four-game stretch on the road, which wraps Saturday against the Houston Dash.
Gotham FC sits second in the NWSL with a 10-3-4 (win-loss-draw) record across 17 matches played. The club returns to Sports Illustrated Stadium on Aug. 7, when it faces the San Diego Wave.