Samantha Kerr, one of the biggest names in professional women’s soccer, has recently returned to the pitch after tearing her ACL over 20 months ago. Kerr has been a threat on the pitch for many years, beginning with her career for her home country’s team, Australia’s Matildas. As a striker, Kerr’s ability to score lead the Matildas to wins in multiple major tournaments, including the World Cup and the Olympics. By 2019, Kerr was leading Australia’s National Team as their captain and leading goal-scorer.
Whilst playing for Australia’s national team, Kerr also competed in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), America’s women’s highest-level professional league. Between 2013 and 2019, Kerr played for three different teams, including the Chicago Red Stars, where she again became the leading goal scorer.
Immediately following her time in the NWSL, Kerr transferred into the Women’s Super League (WSL), England’s top division of professional women’s soccer. After signing with the prestigious Chelsea FC, Kerr continued to stun opponents’ defense with her continuous offensive pressure. By her second season, Kerr was a major offensive threat on Chelsea’s roster, and continued to grow in skill. She helped Chelsea win the WSL trophy in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons, and has since been recognized with countless accolades, including WSL Player of the Season, WSL Goal of the Season, and Ballon d’Or awards.
Unfortunately, in January of 2024, Sam Kerr sustained a major injury to her ACL during training camp. ACL tears are a significantly painful injury, and recovery takes at least nine months. Since last winter, Kerr has been rehabilitating and working towards getting back on the pitch. It’s evident that, based on her impressive history, Kerr was meant to have a soccer ball at her feet – and she has recently proven that this injury would not be the end of her career. Especially not when, at the time of her injury, she had 99 goals for Chelsea.
On Saturday, September 14, Kerr finally returned to Chelsea’s pitch in a long-awaited homecoming. She received a standing ovation at her second-half substitution, clearly a fan favorite. And, in true Kerr fashion, she did not disappoint, tallying her 100th goal for Chelsea in less than 20 minutes back under the lights. She became just the second player to earn 100 goals for Chelsea in the WSL, right behind Fran Kirby, a fellow Chelsea legend.
Despite an injury that could have been career-ending, Sam Kerr refused to let her ACL tear stop her from continuing to push boundaries and break records. She’s only been back for two weeks, and everyone following the league is eager to see what more she has to give.
