Christen Press, the Angel City and USWNT star, announced on Monday that she will be undergoing a fourth surgery on her knee to repair the injury that’s keeping her out of the Women’s World Cup later this month.
In an emotional Instagram post, Press revealed how difficult the recovery from her June 2022 ACL tear has been.
Press, 34, tore her ACL 13 months before the Women’s World Cup while playing for her NWSL team, Angel City FC. There was a possibility that she could have been ready for the tournament, a possibility Press had been holding on to despite having three knee surgeries in eight months. She held out hope even after her doctors gave her medical advice to “let go” of her World Cup dream back in February. It wasn’t until the roster was released last week that the press accepted that she really, truly wouldn’t be going to New Zealand with her teammates.
The two-time World Cup winner also wrote about how strange it is to be in her position, and the opposing feelings she has.
“For me, the hardest part of recovery has been that I feel misunderstood. In fact, I feel un-understandable. I’m not anxious to get back on the field. My identity isn’t lost by not playing. Most days, I don’t even miss it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get back. That I’m not working every second of every day to return to the pitch. That hard part is: I don’t know what does it mean.
“My days are mostly good. I’m working towards my goal. And despite the fact that, on paper, this is an athlete’s recovery-nightmare, I feel in my heart that to climb the mountain — yes, even one more time — is the dream.”
A sentiment like “the journey is the destination” isn’t something we hear from athletes often, probably because the goal of many athletes is to win and be the best at their sport or discipline. But after going through so much, Press isn’t thinking about winning or being the best. She simply wants to play soccer again, and going through recovery again is part of that dream.