Player makes West Ham return after six-month injury layoff

Kristie Mewis is finally back in the mix with West Ham.

The American midfielder made her first appearance with the Hammers in six months, starting and playing 36 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in a preseason match on Thursday.

West Ham is participating in the Perth International Football Cup, a four-team event in Australia that also includes Manchester City and Leicester City.

Mewis joined West Ham in December after winning a NWSL title with NJ/NY Gotham FC. The move was motivated by both professional and personal reasons, as Mewis wanted to live closer to her fiancee, Chelsea and Australia star Sam Kerr.

But the 33-year-old only managed to make three appearances with her new club before an injury sidelined her for the remainder of the season. The Hammers narrowly avoided relegation in 2023-24, finishing 11th in the 12-team WSL as last-place Bristol City went down to the Championship.

Mewis has been capped 53 times by the USWNT, making her most recent appearance as a late sub in the team’s round-of-16 loss to Sweden at the 2023 World Cup.

West Ham has one more match in Australia, taking on Leicester in Sunday’s third-place playoff. The team kicks off its WSL campaign against Manchester United on September 21.