Angel City FC midfielder Hina Sugita has torn her left ACL and will be placed on the season-ending injury list, the team announced on Tuesday.
Sugita, a Japan international and two-time World Cup veteran, joined Angel City from the Portland Thorns in a major trade in September. The Los Angeles-based club had plans to build its midfield around Sugita in 2026.
"Hina is a world class athlete and teammate," Angel City head coach Alex Straus said in a statement.
"We are devastated for her, but know she will bring the same focus and determination to her rehab as she does on the pitch. The entire team and club are behind her. We are prepared to support her on her road to recovery and look forward to having her back."
Sugita was absent from Angel City's season-opener, a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Stars, on Sunday.
Sugita played four matches for Angel City in 2025. She arrived from Portland in a trade that sent defender M.A. Vignola and $600,000 in intra-league transfer funds to the Thorns.
At the time, Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said the team is proud to bring "a championship-caliber player to Angel City."
Sugita has 51 caps for Japan's national team.
Sugita's knee injury is not the first major setback for Angel City at the start of the season.
Two years ago, fellow Japan international Jun Endo tore her ACL in preseason. Endo missed the entire 2024 season and half of the 2025 season while recovering.
She also missed Sunday's season opener and was listed as out due to her knee.
Endo said in a social media post last month that "it's not a new injury and I didn't re-tear my ACL. There's just still a significant imbalance between my left and right side."
She said at the time that she would train individually and separately from the team for the next four weeks, which would have led to mid-March.
