Christen Press is starting a comeback.
After an arduous recovery from injury, the Angel City FC striker will return to training, the team announced in a press release on Monday. Press, a two-time World Cup winner with the U.S. women’s national team, has not played since suffering a end of season ACL injury in June 2022.
Now, after two years – almost exactly – and significant rehabilitation, Press will join Angel City for practice on Tuesday.
The recovery of the press had many setbacks; In July 2023, Press revealed that she needed a fourth surgery to repair her ACL. However, she is now ready to begin a slow return to the fields.
The press will start slow this week, but told Atlético on Monday that he will participate in group warm-ups and passing drills while rejoining the team.
“It will still be the first time I do a legitimate pass pattern with a bunch of bodies on the field and checking angles, because it was just one-on-one training for two years,” Press told The Athletic.
Initially, Press said he wanted to keep his return low-key, but later changed tack.
“I reversed it, I changed my mind, because I thought, ‘Gee, who knows how many milestones I have left to celebrate? Who knows what will happen after this first-team training?’” Press said. “So if this is something we can all celebrate, let’s go for it, because this journey has been a very, very long one.”
Press joined Angel City in 2022, becoming the first player to sign with the expansion team for a three-season contract reportedly worth $700,000, making her one of the highest-paid players in the NWSL at the time. However, she only made eight appearances for the team before the injury.
The 35-year-old forward has been a strong and consistent offensive presence throughout her career, including with the USWNT. Press has accumulated 155 international appearances and 64 goals for the USA, but has not played for the USWNT since 2021 due to a combination of injury and coaching decisions under former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski.
In addition to returning to training, Press also announced the return from “The RE-CAP Show”, your football analysis and interview podcast with Tobin Heath. Heath and Press, former USWNT teammates, have been dating for several years. In the program, the two veterans evaluate and analyze the NWSL and international football.
