U.S. national team stars Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz are expected to be available for Monday's round of 16 game against Spain after there were questions about whether they would be healthy enough to play.
“Alex is fine,” coach Jill Ellis told reporters Sunday. “(Julie) is fine."
Ertz, who started against both Thailand and Chile, didn't play against Sweden in the USA's group-stage finale after suffering a minor hip injury, while Morgan played just 45 minutes before she was subbed out for Carli Lloyd.
Morgan got knocked down by a Swedish player and was slow to get up. She played for a few more minutes and was able to run, but didn't look like herself. Ellis said after the game that the substitution was precautionary.
“It’s a zero-risk game in terms of having players available for the next round,” Ellis said.
Morgan opened the tournament with an impressive five-goal performance against Thailand, which tied the record for most goals in a World Cup game as the Americans won 13-0. Ellis rested Morgan the following game against Chile.
The winner of Monday's match will face the winner of the France-Brazil game in the quarterfinals, which is set for Friday.
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