Five months into her rehabilitation from a season-ending knee injury, Racing Louisville FC forward Nadia Nadim has her sights set on an earlier-than-expected return.
“Hopefully, in a couple of months, I’ll be able to (go full) contact,” Nadim told reporters Monday following her first local training session back in Louisville. “Game-wise, I hope I’ll be ready to play my first couple of minutes in May, and then we’ll take it from there.”
That, of course, would be a welcome development for Racing, which originally anticipated Nadim’s comeback in the summertime ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. The Afghan-born star of the Danish national team is 18th on the NWSL’s all-time scoring list and bagged three goals in eight appearances last season for Racing, providing an instant attacking jolt and veteran experience when she arrived in June.
The 34-year-old underwent surgery shortly after suffering a torn ACL in a Sept. 11 defeat to the Orlando Pride. She’d just been named to the NWSL’s Team of the Month for August. Nadim rehabilitated her knee in Denmark and Qatar over the offseason as she also finished medical school.
One of the leaders of Racing’s young squad, Nadim rejoined the team last week for its five-day trip to Tallahassee, Fla., for two scrimmages against reigning national champion Florida State University. On Monday, she worked on cardio and touch off to the side of Racing’s team training session.
While Nadim is still months away from full-contact participation, she said her knee has “responded amazingly.” She is close to regaining equal strength in both legs, a critical milestone in the rehab process.
New coach Kim Björkegren, who raved about Nadim’s leadership on and off the pitch, said Nadim and the club are taking her work “step-by-step.” But, he added, she is “better” than on schedule with her rehab.
“To start with, she needs to build muscles so she can be in games,” Björkegren said. “So far, she has 80% (of her muscle strength in the healing leg) or something like that. She needs to be over 90% before she can play with her teammates.”
Nadim said she was excited by Racing’s additions in the offseason and encouraged by the team atmosphere in the week since she returned stateside. Among others, Racing added 2019 World Cup winner Jess McDonald, the league’s fourth all-time leading scorer, and Jaelin Howell, a member of FSU’s national team and the two-time reigning national college player of the year.
“I want to be ready – I want to be so ready,” Nadim said. “I want to be stronger than I was before my injury.”
