Football
AAP 6y

Australia international Hayley Raso suffers back fracture in NWSL


Matildas star Hayley Raso could miss a mooted friendly showdown with England after fracturing her back in a National Women's Soccer League game.

Raso was hospitalised after colliding with Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe as her Portland Thorns prevailed 1-0 in their NWSL fixture at the weekend.

The 23-year-old attacker, who plays for Brisbane Roar in the W-League, was taken from the field on a stretcher in seemingly severe pain.

The Thorns have confirmed Raso suffered a "non-displaced fracture of the transverse processes of L2, L3 and L4" and will miss the next six to eight weeks.

The injury will end her NWSL season and could put her at risk of missing the start of the W-League campaign, which begins in late October.

She had missed the start of the NWSL campaign because of a knee issue.

Raso would now be at long odds to feature in rumoured clashes for Australia with England and France in early October.

Reports surfaced last month that the eighth-ranked Matildas would head to Europe to face the Lionesses, who are ranked No. 4 in the world and coached by former Manchester United defender Phil Neville.

The report also claimed the tour would include a match against world No. 3-ranked France.

The fixtures are yet to be confirmed but would be important pre-World Cup rehearsals for Alen Stajcic's Matildas, who were undefeated and finished second in the recent four-team Tournament of Nations.

^ Back to Top ^