Ashlyn Harris out 8 weeks with quad injury

Ashlyn Harris is out for approximately eight weeks with a “quadriceps injury near the hip,” as per an Orlando Pride press release today.

Harris injured her quad during a goal kick this past weekend when the Orlando Pride were playing the Seattle Reign. Harris went down immediately after taking the kick in the 23’ and had to be replaced by Caroline Stanley. Orlando ended up tying Seattle 1-1.

This looks to be one of those freak non-contact injuries, though it somewhat echoes an earlier injury in her career once again sustained during a goal kick, this one a torn labrum in 2007, also on her right side. She will miss the USWNT’s upcoming June 8 and June 11 friendlies against Sweden and Norway, but could be back in time for USSF’s Tournament of Nations, which runs from July 27 to August 3 and features Australia, Brazil, and Japan.

It now remains to be seen if Jill Ellis will call up another keeper to at least evaluate in camp, or will stick with Alyssa Naeher as her starter with young Jane Campbell as her backup. Campbell has had hardly any playing time with the Houston Dash; meanwhile there are at least one or two keepers in NWSL who have had good runs over the past six games and are in the fairly large development gap between Naeher and Campbell, who are 29 and 22 respectively. The Reign’s Haley Kopmeyer and Boston’s Abby Smith should both be on Jill Ellis’ mind at this point.

As for Harris, eight weeks out looks like she’ll be missing at least six games for Orlando, and perhaps up to eight, depending on the timeline of her recovery.