USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn will miss World Cup with injury

U.S. women’s national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn will miss the 2023 World Cup.

In a post on Twitter and Instagram on Friday night, Sauerbrunn said "there's too much variability" in her return from a foot injury for her to be at the World Cup. Sauerbrunn injured her foot in April while playing for the National Women's Soccer League's Portland Thorns FC. The Athletic had reported earlier in the day that Sauerbrunn did not make the 23-player USWNT roster. The full roster for the World Cup, which begins July 20 in New Zealand and Australia, will be released next week.

"Heartbroken isn't even the half of it," Sauerbrunn wrote. "But that's sports for you and that's life, really.

"It's been an honor to work and play alongside this incredible group of athletes," she continued. "They have my unwavering support. And, more importantly, they have my unyielding belief. This program has always been about the collective and I have no doubt that the 23 players on the final roster have everything they need -- in their feet, their heads and their hearts -- to bring our fifth trophy home."

The 38-year-old defender made her first of three World Cup appearances with the USWNT in 2011 and won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019. Sauerbrunn also won a gold medal with the national team at the 2012 Olympics and a bronze at the 2020 Olympics. She was named USWNT captain in 2021.

In total, she has made 216 appearances for the national team.

Sauerbrunn signed with the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League in 2022 and suffered a foot injury during a match against Racing Louisville FC on April 22. She missed six matches while rehabbing the injury and briefly returned to play against the OL Reign on June 3, but she was not available for Sunday's match against the Orlando Pride.

This would have marked the fourth World Cup appearance for Sauerbrunn as the USWNT looks to win its third consecutive title.

"If you told 13-year-old Becky that she would be going to four World Cups, she would've never believed it," she said in April. "I really want these younger players to know what it's like to win a World Cup. It really is such an amazing experience."

Sauerbrunn is not the only player the USWNT has lost to injury. Left forward Mallory Swanson, 24, suffered a torn patellar tendon in a USWNT friendly earlier this year and is likely out for the World Cup.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn will miss World Cup per report