Sam Mewis announced her retirement from soccer, citing knee injuries as the reason
Elizabeth Flores
Sam Mewis, former United States women’s national team midfielder, announced her retirement from soccer after citing ongoing knee injuries as the reason for her decision.
"Unfortunately, my knee can no longer tolerate the impact that elite soccer requires,” said Mewis in a press release by US Soccer.
“Though this isn't what I wanted, this is the only path forward for me. I want to thank everyone who has been on my team throughout this journey. Soccer has put so many wonderful things in my life, but the most wonderful thing has been the people. To all my family, friends, teammates, and fans, I truly feel that we did this together and I’m extremely grateful,” Mewis said.
Mewis played a crucial role in helping the USWNT win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, after defeating the Netherlands 2-0. Mewis participated in six out of seven matches, starting in five of them, and recording two goals and three assists throughout the tournament.
The Massachusetts native scored 24 goals in 83 appearances during her time with the national team.
In 2020, Sam Mewis won four league titles in the National Women's Super League as well as the women's FA Cup with Manchester City. Mewis was voted the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year for her outstanding performance.
After playing with Manchester City, Mewis returned to the NWSL and rejoined North Carolina Courage in 2021 before being traded to the Kansas City Current in 2022
Mewis' knee injury timeline
Mewis suffered a knee injury in November 2017 while playing for the United States Women's National Team and this forced her to sit out for six months.
Mewis later returned to a high level of competition, but in 2021, she shared with Just Women's Sports that her knee stopped responding positively to rehabilitation efforts. As a result, Mewis underwent arthroscopic surgery in 2021.
Unfortunately, she had to undergo a second knee surgery in January 2023, thus leading to her decision to retire for soccer at the age of 31.
