The Football Ferns will be without midfielder Annalie Longo for the foreseeable future, after she suffered two separate knee injuries.
Longo tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligaments in her left knee during New Zealand's 1-0 victory over Mexico on Saturday.
The 31-year-old has left the Football Ferns' US camp and will return to New Zealand for treatment.
"We're heartbroken for Annalie, who is such an important member of our whānau," coach Jitka Klimková said.
"Football can be brutal and this is one of those times. We will do everything we can to support Annalie in her recovery."
While the MCL tear shouldn't keep Longo out for long, with a worst-case-scenario grade three injury taking 4-8 weeks to heal, the ACL could prove troublesome for Longo and the Ferns.
A grade three ACL tear is expected to take 6-9 months to heal, depending on its severity.
The injuries will leave Longo in a race against time to be fit for the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand, which begins on July 20, just over 10 months away.
