Fotopoulos Suffers Serious Knee Injury

June 26, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release


Morrisville, NC (June 26, 2003) - The defending WUSA champion Carolina Courage was dealt a heavy blow on Wednesday night, when league-leading scorer Danielle Fotopoulos suffered a serious knee injury in the first half of the Courage-CyberRays game in San Jose. Preliminary indications suggest a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of Fotopoulos' left knee, however, her status will not be confirmed until she is able to undergo an MRI exam on Friday in North Carolina.

"I went to stop and change direction, and my knee kind of buckled,'' recalled Fotopoulos. "I think that's probably when I tore my ACL. ... I heard the pop."

The loss of Fotopoulos would compound the injury woes of the defending WUSA champs. Carolina lost midfielder Hege Riise, a first team All-WUSA selection and the team MVP in 2001 and 2002, when she suffered a torn ACL in her right knee on April 19. In addition, the Courage was forced to play its first three games of the 2003 season without last year's WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year Kristin Luckenbill, who underwent thumb surgery in March.

Despite the setbacks, the Courage is only six points off the league lead and only two points behind the fourth place team. The four teams with the most points qualify for the playoffs.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from June 26, 2003


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