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Kristie Mewis Is Back: How a Torn ACL Paved the Way for Her USWNT Return

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You may hear the name ‘Kristie Mewis’ circulating headlines over the next few days, following the midfielder’s instantaneous impact upon returning to the pitch for the U.S. women’s national team in a friendly against the Netherlands last Friday. 10 minutes after coming off of the bench, Mewis received a pass from teammate Lynn Williams, took a few touches, and buried a shot past Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal, sealing a comfortable 2-0 win for the United States.

Mewis made scoring a goal against an international opponent look easy, as if it’s a part of her regular routine. But here’s the catch. Ahead of Friday’s game, Mewis had not made an appearance for her country since 2014.

To start, let’s revisit Mewis’s career. In 2013 and 2014, Mewis received call-ups to the U.S. women’s national team, earning 15 caps for her country before abruptly falling off of the national team radar. In terms of the National Women’s Soccer League, Mewis was traded a total of five times from 2013-2017 (with two of those trades happening only a week apart), bouncing from FC Kansas City to the Boston Breakers, then to the Washington Spirit, then to the Chicago Red Stars, before finally landing on the Houston Dash roster.

Needless to say, it was a tumultuous time for the young player — and just when she had begun to find her footing with the Dash, Mewis tore her ACL in a match against the Washington Spirit in May 2018.

Mewis’s injury was certainly a tough pill to swallow, as she was just beginning to return to the level of play that earned her two national call-ups four and five years prior. Now, she would be restricted to the sidelines for the remainder of the year. As teammate Rachel Daly would put it, “[The loss of Mewis] is obviously so difficult because I think she has been our best player this year.”

And indeed, she had — Mewis started all 11 of her appearances with the Dash that season, recording 919 minutes of playing time and scoring two goals. But unbeknownst to Mewis and her teammates, her injury would quickly prove to be a turning point in her playing career.

Given that an ACL injury takes anywhere from eight to twelve months to recover from, Mewis suddenly found herself coming to grips with the harsh reality that she had been okay with being ‘average’.

As reported by Seth Vertelney in October of this year, Mewis said of her injury: “Me tearing my ACL was kind of a blessing in disguise because I feel like it just woke me up a little bit. It just made me ask myself, ‘Kristie, what are you doing? You need to come back from this. You’re being OK with being 70 or 80 percent,’” she continued, “It was just hard to admit to myself that I wasn’t happy with where I was. But I think I just woke up one day and was like, ‘Let’s do this.’”

It was with that mindset that Mewis would return to the Dash in 2019, even better than before. She appeared in 22 matches for Houston, 20 in which she was a member of the starting line-up, logging 1,818 minutes of playing time, 4 goals, and an assist. But Mewis refused to stop there — she was on the cusp of greatness, which was further affirmed upon the receipt of her third national team call-up in November of 2019.

For Mewis, she could only go up from there—that is, until COVID-19 brought the 2020 NWSL season to a sudden halt. Amidst great uncertainty surrounding how the NWSL (and sports in general) would proceed, the NWSL Challenge Cup was announced. The first-time event would bring eight NWSL teams into a ‘bubble’ in late June, with each team playing a total of four matches in a preliminary round before a subsequent knockout tournament.

The Dash, who finished the 2019 season with a 7-5-12 record and in seventh place in league standings, were given +2,000 odds to win the Cup by the William Hill Sports Book — superior only to Sky Blue FC and the Orlando Pride, who were forced to opt out of the tournament due to a slew of positive COVID-19 tests within their organization.

Despite the unfavorable circumstances, Mewis and her team were determined to prove themselves, cruising through the preliminaries of the tournament and eventually defeating the Utah Royals in penalty kicks to advance past the quarterfinals. Now, the chance to punch their ticket to the Challenge Cup final was well within reach with a win over the Portland Thorns. A late goal by Rachel Daly would send Houston to the final, where they went on to secure a comfortable 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars, defying the odds to earn their first hardware in club history.

An integral part of the Challenge Cup victory, Mewis started 7 matches and played 558 minutes, notching a goal and an assist in the process.

In the subsequent NWSL Fall Series, the Dash boasted a 3-1-0 record, finishing the short-lived 2020 season at second place in the table. Likewise dominant were Mewis’ stats through the four matches — she notched two goals and five assists, continuing to reach new heights. The cherry on top? Being called into the USWNT team training camp for the fast-approaching friendly against the Netherlands.

Back in December, Mewis discussed her initial return to the USWNT in an interview with American Soccer Now.

“Putting the U.S. crest on again was pretty cool. I always hoped I would be able to do it again. It was definitely a special moment for me since it has been a really long time,” she said. “I have made huge strides to get back. But I obviously don’t want to just get back to where I was, I want to get back to an even better place. So that’s what I’m striving for. I want to be better than I was before I tore my ACL. I don’t just want to be the same.”

Mewis certainly isn’t the same player she was before her injury — in fact, she is exponentially better — and others are starting to take notice. In only 30 minutes of play during Friday’s friendly, she made a lasting impression on the national team, inscribing her name on the scoresheet with the added bonus of getting to celebrate the achievement alongside her sister, Sam.

Inclusion for the Olympics may still be a long shot, but at just 29 years of age, Mewis still has time to work her way into the national team rotation. Friday’s goal may have been a remarkable milestone in her six-year comeback, but if Mewis has proved anything over the past year and a half, it’s that she’s no longer settling for just being good enough. She wants to be great, and it’s time we take notice.

WNBA, Players Union Spar Over CBA Negotiations at All-Star Weekend

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to media at a 2025 press conference.
The current CBA between the WNBPA and the league expires at the end of October. (Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images)

This year's All-Star action extends beyond the court, as more than 40 players — including All-Stars, executive committee members, and WNBPA representatives — met with the WNBA in Indianapolis on Thursday for the second CBA negotiations of 2025.

"I'm encouraged. I'm just so inspired by the amount of players that showed up, the engagement that was there," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said after Thursday's session, which drew the largest turnout in union history.

"It was something that was very informative for me. First time being able to see and hear the wording from both sides," Chicago Sky star Angel Reese added. "I was really eager to know and understand what was going on."

With revenues booming, both players and the league are struggling to settle issues surrounding payouts, revenue sharing, and the salary caps ahead of the current CBA's October 31st expiration date.

"This business is booming — media rights, ratings, revenue, team valuations, expansion fees, attendance, and ticket sales — are all up in historic fashion," the WNBPA wrote in a statement following Thursday's meeting. "But short-changing the working women who make this business possible stalls growth. The only thing more unsustainable than the current system is pretending it can go on forever."

While CBA negotiations continue, the union indicated that players are open to a work stoppage should they fail to reach a new deal by the end of this WNBA season.

Rookies Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen Hit the 2025 WNBA All-Star Court

Washington Mystics rookie All-Stars Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen chat during a 2025 WNBA game.
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen will play in their first WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday. (Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

Team Clark has youth on their side this weekend, with Mystics rookie Sonia Citron gearing up to hit Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star court alongside Washington teammate and fellow 2025 draft pick Kiki Iriafen.

"I was not expecting this at all," Citron told WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on Between the Lines last week, referencing her surprise All-Star call-up. "I'm still in shock. I don't really think it's hit me yet."

"We're young, we've got a bunch of shooters, a little bit of everything" she said of Team Clark's lineup.

Saturday's game isn't Citron's only assignment this weekend, with the All-Star debutant also set to compete in Friday's 3-Point Contest.

The Mystics are on the rise this year, exceeding season expectations behind first-year firepower to send three players in Citron, Iriafen, and Washington's scoring leader Brittney Sykes to the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

Citron is currently averaging five rebounds and 14 points per game — trailing only Sykes's 17 points per game on Washington's stat sheet. Her rookie campaign has her shooting 45% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc.

Fellow first-year Iriafen is also impressing, leading the Mystics with 8.5 rebounds per game as well as sinking nearly 12 points per game while shooting 46% from the field.

"[The rookies] have really played a key piece in our success this season with us being so young, but also them being so adaptable," second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards told Leslie in an earlier episode. "And they're runners for Rookie of the Year, so why not only have one when you can have two? I'm just loving it."

How to attend a live taping of "Between the Lines"

Just Women's Sports is taking over Indianapolis with multi-faceted activations for the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend — including a live recording of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.

Featuring interviews with Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), and Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), the exclusive podcast taping will occur at 110 S Pennsylvania Street at 3 PM ET on Saturday.

Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray Headline WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu lines up a shot during the 2023 WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest.
WNBA All-Star Sabrina Ionescu set the single-round 3-Point Contest record in 2023. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)

Even with Indiana Fever sharpshooter Caitlin Clark sidelined, Friday's 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will heat up the Indianapolis competition before Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game tips off.

Single-round record holder Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) and reigning champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) headline the 3-Point Contest, with Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks), Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics), and Clark-replacement Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever) rounding out the bill beyond the arc.

Gray will also be on hand to defend her 2024 Skills Challenge title, with Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx) looking to upend the Dream guard.

Players are shooting for more than just bragging rights in the Friday competitions, with Aflac boosting prize money for the second year in a row.

The insurance giant will award $60,000 to the 3-point Contest winner and $55,000 to the Skills Challenge champ, topping off the league's $2,575-per-player All-Star bonus check.

With big money on the line, both Gray and Ionescu are battling to become just the second WNBA player to win multiple 3-Point Contests, following in the footsteps of retired Sky guard and four-time event champion Allie Quigley.

How to watch the All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take the Indianapolis court at 8 PM ET on Friday, with both competitions airing live on ESPN.

Minnesota Lynx-Fueled Team Collier Readies for WNBA All-Star Game

Minnesota Lynx All-Stars Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier celebrate a 2025 WNBA regular-season win.
2025 WNBA All-Star captain Napheesa Collier will play alongside her Lynx teammate, Courtney Williams. (Matt Krohn/Getty Images)

Team Collier is looking locked and loaded for Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, with captain Napheesa Collier heading up a roster stocked with talent from the league-leading Minnesota lineup.

The Lynx star will start the game alongside 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings).

Team Collier's bench showcases a balanced group of Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), and Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks).

Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) will also join the squad, replacing the injured Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), boosting the team's Minnesota contingent to three players.

Adding to the Lynx representatives is Minnesota manager Cheryl Reeve, who will serve as the squad's head coach following a first-of-its-kind draft-day swap between the Collier and fellow All-Star captain Caitlin Clark.

"I'm just glad people are understanding Phee's greatness," Reeve said about Collier before the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend. "There's nothing else you can say at this point."

With a steady front and backcourt presence, Team Collier has experience on their side as they take on a youth-heavy Team Clark on Saturday.

How to watch Team Collier at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.

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