Chelsea defender Naomi Girma has been ruled out of the upcoming United States women's national team matches against world No. 1 Spain due to a muscle injury.
U.S. Soccer said a roster replacement would be named at a later date.
"Naomi got a knock in training. So I think she will be unavailable for maybe a few weeks," Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said on Wednesday.
The upcoming pair of matches against Spain are scheduled for Oct. 10 (Audi Field, Washington, D.C.) and Oct. 13 (Subaru Park, Chester, Penn.).
The world's top two teams against each other for the first time since October 2022, when Spain defeated the USWNT 2-0 in Pamplona.
Girma has struggled with various injuries, especially to her calves, since joining Chelsea in January 2025 from the San Diego Wave in the first $1 million transfer in women's soccer history.
She has not played yet this season for Chelsea in the Women's Super League.
Girma played in Chelsea's pair of UEFA Champions League early-round games in late August and early September against Real Sociedad.
Girma only played in 10 league matches for Chelsea last season.
She last played for the United States in April in two of the team's three friendlies against Japan before sustaining another setback with a calf injury that caused her to miss the rest of Chelsea's season and the USWNT's June friendlies against Brazil.
Spain is the reigning World Cup champion, and the United States is the reigning Olympic champion.
The USWNT has played 17 matches featuring the world's top two teams and has not lost (11-0-6) in any of them.
This is the first such situation in which Spain is the opponent. Spain enters the game having already qualified for the 2023 World Cup after recent victories over England and Iceland to clinch a berth.
The USWNT must still qualify for the 2027 World Cup at the Concacaf W Championship in November. Sanchez and the four uncapped players have been rewarded for stellar form with their NWSL teams.
