Gotham FC and United States women's national team defender Emily Sonnett was stretchered off the field in the opening minutes of Gotham's 2-2 draw with the Portland Thorns on Friday after a non-contact knee injury.
Sonnett stepped to defend a player and planted her left foot into the artificial turf at Portland's Providence Park before falling to the ground in the seventh minute. Sonnett called for the team's trainers, who evaluated her left knee before she left the field on a stretcher.
A Gotham FC spokesperson issued the following statement: "Gotham FC defender Emily Sonnett left Friday's match at Portland with a suspected left knee injury. She will receive further evaluation in New Jersey."
Gotham winger Midge Purce called Sonnett's injury "scary," while Gotham forward Sam Kerr said, "it kind of rattled us a little bit."
"It's always hard when you lose one of your best players," Gotham acting head coach Shaun Harris said. "Emily's someone who really organizes the team, understands the game plans well. She's good on the ball and once you take her out, obviously we have people to fill in, but that early in the game I feel like it's a bit shocking for people.
"Emily's one of our key players as a leader on and off the pitch, so it's really difficult when you lose such a great and key player that early in the game."
Sonnett is a starting center back for the NWSL's best defense halfway through the season. Gotham conceded only 10 goals in 15 games heading into Friday.
Sonnett is also one of the United States women's national team's most consistent and longest-tenured players. She has 118 caps for the USWNT, including five this year.
She is expected to be part of the USWNT's 2027 World Cup roster next year.
Last month, Sonnett signed a new contract with Gotham through the 2028 NWSL season.
On Friday, Purce opened the scoring less than two minutes into the match before Renee Lyles equalized for Portland in the 21st minute, her first professional goal.
Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming gave her team the lead eight minutes after halftime, but Kerr scored the equalizer for Gotham in the 62nd minute to earn the point on the road.
The goal was Kerr's first since returning to the team and the league and her first goal in the NWSL since November 2019. She extended her league record to 78 regular season goals.
Eleven minutes later, Thorns defender Jayden Perry was shown a red card for denying Kerr an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Kerr spun around Perry near midfield, and Perry pulled Kerr's jersey to prevent a breakaway.
Gotham, the defending NWSL champion, could not find a breakthrough despite the player advantage.
"I thought we were quite poor today, to be honest," Kerr said. "I thought we were probably lucky to get away with the tie in the end. But, I guess, happy that we didn't concede in the end."
Friday's match also featured a significant milestone for a player returning from a major knee injury.
Thorns forward Morgan Weaver entered the match in the 76th minute for her first official minutes since November 2024, a 621-day wait. Weaver suffered a knee injury during 2025 preseason and complications with her recovery.