Hina Sugita of Angel City and Japan sidelined for the season due to torn ACL
Angel City FC midfielder Hina Sugita has suffered a torn left ACL and will be placed on the season-ending injury list, as announced by the team on Tuesday.
Sugita, an international player for Japan and a two-time World Cup participant, transferred to Angel City from the Portland Thorns in a significant trade last September. The Los Angeles-based club intended to center its midfield strategy around Sugita for the 2026 season.
“Hina is an elite athlete and a valued teammate,” stated Angel City head coach Alex Straus.
“We are heartbroken for her, but we are confident she will approach her rehabilitation with the same dedication and resolve she exhibits on the field. The entire team and organization are behind her. We are ready to assist her on her journey to recovery and eagerly anticipate her return.”
Sugita did not participate in Angel City’s season opener, which resulted in a 4-0 win against the Chicago Stars on Sunday.
In 2025, Sugita appeared in four matches for Angel City. She joined from Portland in a deal that involved sending defender M.A. Vignola and $600,000 in intra-league transfer funds to the Thorns.
At that time, Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons expressed pride in acquiring “a championship-caliber player for Angel City.”
Sugita has earned 51 caps with Japan’s national team.
This knee injury marks another significant challenge for Angel City at the beginning of the season.
Two years prior, fellow Japan international Jun Endo suffered an ACL tear during preseason. Endo was sidelined for the entire 2024 season and part of the 2025 season while recuperating.
She was also unavailable for Sunday’s season opener and was listed as out due to her knee condition.
Endo mentioned in a social media update last month that “it’s not a new injury and I didn’t re-tear my ACL. There remains a considerable imbalance between my left and right sides.”
At that time, she indicated that she would train individually and apart from the team for the next four weeks, which would extend to mid-March.
