The life of a professional athlete can be a lonely one at times. Countless solitary hours spent in the gym, pushing your body to its limit, striving for just the slightest improvement in your game. While those hours in the gym can be lonely, the light at the end of the tunnel - being able to walk onto the pitch to compete along with your teammates - is always there for you, pulling you through the pain. No one knows that pain better than Kara Lang. For the past year, Lang has been been working day and night to re-train her body; to break it down so that she could build it up again, in the hopes that she could resume a career she was forced to end in 2011. It was then, at the age of 24, that she retired from the game. "I have come to the very difficult decision to retire from soccer and step down from the national team," she said. "I have always held myself to a very high standard — as it is demanded at the international level. Regrettably, I am physically incapable of maintaining that standard and fulfilling my role as a player." Lang has twice torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee, the first occurring in 2005 and the second in 2009. Early Thursday morning, Lang revealed that her knee has once again suffered serious damage. 2 days after being cleared to train w/ #CanWNT my knee literally exploded yesterday. Ive torn just about everything you can in a knee. — Kara Lang (@Kara_Lang) February 13, 2014 While the extent of the damage is not yet known, the chances of Lang recovering in time for next summers womens World Cup look remote. Lang is one of the most decorated players in the history of Canadas womens national team program. She made her debut for Canada at the age of 15, and has scored 35 goals in 92 appearances for her country. She won a silver medal with Canada at the 2002 FIFA U20 Womens World Cup, and competed in both the Olympic Games (2008) and the Womens World Cup (2007, 2003). Not only has she made her presence felt on the field for Canada, she has become an integral part of the womens national team program itself. When Lang was re-introduced to her teammates in Edmonton back in October, where the team was set to play South Korea, it was as if the prodigal daughter had returned. Players and staff alike accepted her back into the fold without skipping a beat, and it was like shed never been away. When she announced her retirement back in January 2011, Lang said, "For the past ten years, this team has been my second family and this program my second home." You can be sure that her "family" is hurting just as much as she is right now. Over the course of her career, Lang has become a role model for young players - both male and female - across the country. She has become the face of womens soccer in Canada, and her inspirational message of battling through adversity transcends gender. Kara Lang will recover from her knee injury, and will continue to inspire soccer players young and old across the country - regardless of her role within the game. Stan Olejniczak Jersey Retro . -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having an operation on a groin muscle. Matt Szymanski Jersey Retro . Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports. The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/mike-f...jersey-retro/.J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. Blake Countess Jersey Retro . -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Rod Rutledge Jersey Retro .Best moustache: How can we not give this to Lanny McDonald? Check out the duster for yourself.Toronto FC has solved its designated player problem. The team has sent midfielder Matias Laba to the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for future considerations. With the offseason acquisitions of Gilberto, Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley, TFC had four designated players on its books, one more than the the three allowed by Major League Soccer rules. Because of this, TFC had been looking to offload the 22-year-old Argentine midfielder. Laba, signed from Argentinos Juniors of the Argentine Primera Division last summmer, started all 16 games in which he appeared and scored once.dddddddddddd He is expected to step into a defensive midfield role in a 4-3-2-1 formation under new coach Carl Robinson, a former TFC midfielder himself. “Matias is a promising young talent and we are excited to have him join our club,” said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. “He is a hard, aggressive player who brings a lot of energy to the pitch and although he is only 22, he is a natural leader on the field.” ' ' '