USWNT prospect Mia Fishel out of Concacaf W Gold Cup after ACL tear: Alex Morgan named as replacement

Fishel made her USWNT debut last fall and was looking to stake her claim to an Olympic roster spot

U.S. women's national team prospect Mia Fishel will miss the Concacaf W Gold Cup after tearing her ACL in training on Monday, likely keeping her out of the running for a spot at July's Olympic Games (you can catch all the W Gold Cup action across Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network).

The young forward was replaced by veteran forward Alex Morgan ahead of the team's first game of the tournament on Tuesday against the Dominican Republic, and she will be eligible to play.

Fishel was considered one of the USWNT's most exciting new talents as the team mounts a quick rebuild in between last year's Women's World Cup disappointment and this year's trip to Paris. She earned her first cap in September and scored her first goal for the national team a month later in a 3-0 win over Colombia, where she also showcased a budding partnership with fellow up-and-comer Jaedyn Shaw.

The race for a ticket to Paris

A primary area of focus for the USWNT in their rebuild has been rebooting the attack, which was the most obvious pain point during their shorter-than-desired run at the World Cup. The team scored just four goals in four games, three of them coming in their opener against Vietnam, and they went more than 200 minutes without scoring.

Morgan led the line during the World Cup, but failed to score any goals during a tournament that fell smack in the middle of a disappointing year for her. She scored just nine times for club and country, which has led the USWNT to explore their options in attack in the months since the tournament, though it does not necessarily mean Morgan is out of the picture. She missed the December friendlies, the first since Emma Hayes was announced as the incoming head coach, and was expected to sit out the Gold Cup as interim head coach Twila Kilgore treated both as exploratory exercises.

In the months since the World Cup, though, Sophia Smith has started to position herself as the USWNT's first option at center forward. The versatile attacker played on the wing at the World Cup and scored twice against Vietnam and is now not just the USWNT's future in that position, but most likely the present. Since the Olympics roster is smaller than the World Cup's -- 18 players plus four alternates will travel to Paris, while 23 players were in Australia and New Zealand last year -- it feels like there's perhaps just one spot left for someone other than Smith.

Fishel and Morgan seemed destined to duke it out for the role as Smith's understudy, and the Gold Cup was expected to be a venue for Fishel to make a case for herself. Morgan now might be on the inside track for a ticket to Paris, but considering the USWNT's depth in attack, it is far from a sure thing.

Shaw is among those who could have a say, as is Mallory Swanson as she approaches her recovery from a patella tendon tear she suffered last year. Catarina Macario, who is expected to return from an ACL tear next month, could also be in the picture come July.