Spirit star Croix Bethune out for season with knee injury

Washington Spirit standout midfielder Croix Bethune was placed on the season-ending injury list on Wednesday after sustaining a torn meniscus away from training last week, the team announced.

The 23-year-old rookie, a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. women's team at the Paris Olympics, recorded five goals and 10 assists in 17 matches for the Spirit. Bethune's 10th assist, in her 12th career game, tied the NWSL single-season record that Tobin Heath set in 2016 with the Portland Thorns.

Bethune was the NWSL Rookie of the Month for March/April, May and June. No player had ever won the award in consecutive months.

Washington selected her with the third pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft out of Georgia, where she was an All-American in 2023 after two seasons with similar accolades at Southern California.