U.S. women’s soccer star Rapinoe tears knee ligament before match at Aloha Stadium

A day before the U.S. Women’s National Team’s victory tour exhibition against Trinidad and Tobago at Aloha Stadium, the defending World Cup champions announced the loss of a key player due to injury.

Midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore her right ACL in team training on Friday at the University of Hawaii and is headed back to the mainland for surgery. Rapinoe, 30, was one of several USA stars in winning the Cup in Canada this summer, scoring two goals in the opening match against Australia.

Rapinoe’s injury was described as non-contact as she prepared to receive a ball on one of the UH grass practice fields. She has a projected recovery timetable of several months, and is questionable to play in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The injury of the well-liked Rapinoe cast a bit of a pall on the team’s training session on the artificial turf at Aloha Stadium today.

“Pretty sad news. Really, really bummed for her,” striker Carli Lloyd said. “Tremendous player, tremendous person and you never want to see someone go down like that. She knew instantly.

“She’s got a great outlook on it and she’ll come back stronger, I know that.”

Sunday’s 3 p.m. game will be televised on Fox Sports 1. It is the inaugural game for the Team USA women in Hawaii.

U.S. Soccer put out a statement from Rapinoe: “I want to thank my teammates and the staff for the amazing support I’ve received so far. I know I’ll be in the best of hands moving forward and I’ll be doing everything I can to get healthy as soon as possible. This is obviously a very difficult time, but I do feel super confident in my recovery as I’ve gone through this before and I know what the process will be like. I want everyone to know that I’ll be fine, and that I’m currently accepting any recommendations for TV shows to binge watch and great restaurants that deliver in Seattle. I’m also going to get really good at FIFA 16.”

Most of the rest of the team’s stars are present in Hawaii, including Abby Wambach, who is retiring at the end of the remaining four games of the victory tour. Team USA is 5-0-1 so far on the tour.

Head coach Jill Ellis said that besides Rapinoe, defender Christie Rampone is also shut down for the rest of the tour with a bone bruise.

“Players getting injured is always hard, but all of (Rapinoe’s) teammates know that one of the strength of this team is depth and everyone in the player pool is prepared to step up as we continue to prepare for Olympic qualifying,” Ellis said. “Megan has a great support system and she’s very resilient, so we know she will be back as soon as possible.”