Tottenham Women’s Ria Percival out indefinitely with ACL injury

Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Champions League hopes just took another major hit after the club announced that midfielder and New Zealand international Ria Percival will miss substantial time with an ACL injury.

The injury occurred during an international friendly match between Australia and New Zealand this past Friday.

I’m no doctor, but ACL injuries are serious and usually long-term, with recovery estimates ranging from at minimum six months to up to a year depending on the severity. Obviously we don’t know the severity but we know it’s bad and it’s certainly going to end Percival’s season.

Ria has been a standout performer for Spurs Women this season, playing mostly as a central midfielder but also in a more advanced role, and has a unique place as a set piece specialist. Losing her will hurt a bunch, especially with a gauntlet of tough matches coming up. Tottenham are already without Kit Graham, who is also out with a similar long term injury.

It sucks, but this Tottenham team is resilient, and has shown that kind of toughness all season long. Rehanne Skinner will need to retool and figure out how to get high level performances out of a team that’s now missing two significant pieces. Tottenham’s next match is on April 24, home to Chelsea.