On Sept. 30, 2017, 32 minutes into the match Orlando Pride fans watched in despair as Camila Martins Pereira was stretchered off the pitch.
In her sophomore season in the NWSL, the 23-year-old most commonly known as Camila, had become a staple for the Orlando Pride, appearing in all 24 regular-season matches.
The dependability and creativity the young Brazilian brought to the team came to a screeching halt against the North Carolina Courage in the final match of the regular season.
As the Pride prepared for their first-ever playoff appearance, Camila received the news that she was diagnosed with a torn ACL and sprained MCL in her right knee.
The defender, who was one of only two players to appear in every match for the Pride to that point, would not only miss the Club’s first playoff game, but the beginning matches of the following season as well.
Now almost half way into that season, Camila has been cleared to return to action.
Camila will be an option from the bench for the first time against the Washington Spirit, available for selection for Head Coach Tom Sermanni. For the first time in nearly nine months, the Brazilian will get to pull on her No. 9 Orlando Pride jersey.
“Her progress has been absolutely stellar,” Sermanni said. “The way that she has conducted her rehab and our medical staff have conducted her rehab has been first-class. She deserves an inordinate amount of credit for that, as does our medical staff.”
In the nine months since her injury, Camila spent time rehabbing in her home country of Brazil, but has been training alongside her Pride teammates from Day 1 of preseason.
But while she has been in the vicinity of her teammates, Sermanni shared that recovering from an injury of this magnitude can be “a very lonely road, because you're kind of with the group, but you’re not with the group.”
A few weeks ago, Camila was given the go-ahead to rejoin her teammates and begin taking part in full training sessions.
What began as an abrupt halt to her career on Sept. 30 will finally be put to rest on June 23 as Camila makes her way back into the 18 for the Pride for the first time since that fateful night.
And 266 days after her injury, Camila will have the opportunity to once again make an impact as she looks to return to the pitch with the dependability and creativity that make her such an important part of the Orlando Pride.
