Christen Press showed off her progress as she continues to recover from her ACL tear.
The U.S. women’s national team forward shared videos of herself running through ladder drills and jogging on an anti-gravity treadmill as part of an Instagram post Monday.
The videos were included amid a montage of photos, which showed Press hiking with Tobin Heath, working a computer and more.
She has tried to embrace the recovery process, she told told Los Angeles Magazine in September, so she can come back better than ever.
“I surrounded myself with the absolute best — the best surgeons, the best team of people — and that allows me to be really present in my rehabilitation, and really focused on what I can achieve in that moment,” Press said.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christen Press (@christenpress)
A post shared by Christen Press (@christenpress)
The 33-year-old has been sidelined since June, when she tore her ACL in a match for NWSL club Angel City FC. She became the first player to sign with the expansion club ahead of its 2022 debut, and she remains under contract with Angel City for the 2023 season.
Angel City FC lead investor Alexis Ohanian responded to the video of her ladder drills with a message of support.
“Get well, @ChristenPress — don’t rush back!” Ohanian wrote. “We’re excited to see you back out on the pitch when you’re ready!”
Get well, @ChristenPress — don't rush back! We're excited to see you back out on the pitch when you're ready! https://t.co/lA4QRxvhQr— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) December 19, 2022
Get well, @ChristenPress — don't rush back! We're excited to see you back out on the pitch when you're ready! https://t.co/lA4QRxvhQr
Press is expected to return to the pitch in February or March 2023, USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said in late October.
In her career, she has scored 64 goals in 155 appearances for the national team, and she participated in the 2015 and 2019 World Cup title runs. In 2019, she was one of four U.S. players to feature in all seven matches en route to the title.
Yet even before her injury, she was not selected for the USWNT’s World Cup qualifying roster this summer.
“Christen Press was not on the roster even before the injury,” Andonovski said at the time. “We’re very sorry for her injury and don’t have confirming information on the extension or the significance of the injury. We just hope that it is not too serious.”
When she returns, she will be competing among a deep pool of forwards — a major strength for the USWNT as ACL injuries continue to ravage World Cup contenders.
“It’s not easy to be a forward in the United States right now,” Andonovski said. “Obviously it’s great, but it’s not easy because the competition just got bigger and bigger.”