Emily Sonnett's knee injury is not her ACL, but it still shows a problem | OneFootball

Unless an NJ/NY Gotham FC fan was living under a rock during the last few weeks, then everyone knows that Emily Sonnett suffered a knee injury during the draw with Portland Thorns FC. It took about a week for the club to confirm the injury status, but on Friday, the team revealed that the defender ruptured her patellar tendon in the left knee, subsequently keeping her out for the rest of the 2026 season.

Hence, she did not tear her ACL like many thought. In fact, rupturing the patellar tendon is not usually as common as other tendon ruptures, as per the NIH. Often, the injury "results from tensile overload of the extensor mechanism, often superimposed on chronic tendon degeneration." Plus, the rupture "typically occurs during sudden quadriceps contraction with the knee in flexion, such as during stair ascent, landing from a jump, or abrupt directional changes while running."

Gotham FC has a knee injury problem

This information makes it easy to wonder whether Sonnett has had a knee issue previously that she was managing, and whether Gotham knew whether that was the case. At the same time, some might think it is good that it is not her ACL. However, the injury could possibly still be severe enough to keep her out longer than just 2026.

According to the Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin, recovery after surgery for a ruptured patellar tendon can take about six to 12 months, including for athletes. Compared to the ACL, the timeline is usually nine to 12 months or longer. As such, the Gotham FC player could be out until next summer, putting her chance at playing at the World Cup in jeopardy.

And while the Bats' backline will miss her, they are fortunate that they still have a brilliant defense. The problem at hand is that it is thin again. Taryn Torres, who can play both in the midfield and defense, can help out in the backline. But she still has to build up her minutes since returning from her ACL tear.

Nevertheless, Gotham FC continues to lose players due to knee injuries. Usually, it is the ACL, as seen with players like Midge Purce, Tierna Davidson, and Torres. But the fact that this consistently occurs year after year is concerning. That is why, as it has been said before, the club needs to investigate making changes to the training and medical staff. And if it is not the staff, then they must make changes to the training, recovery, etc.

Some might call it a coincidence, and some might call it bad luck. But Gotham has too many issues with knee injuries. Plus, Denise O'Sullivan also has a knee injury right now. There has been no update on her status.

Meanwhile, it is interesting that Sonnett is not on the season-ending injury list, or the SEI. The last two injury reports did not list her as such. Doing so would aid the team's ability to add another defender to the roster.

Injuries are part of the game. Alas, when a team keeps on losing players to long-term knee injuries, questions must be asked. This is happening too often. If this trend continues, then players might look at Gotham FC and wonder whether they have the right methods or staff to prevent such injuries. It could even hurt recruitment. Therefore, the time is now to see whether this is something that the club can fix.