Ali Krieger had a huge fan base to begin with following her standout performance over the summer at the World Cup.

But now that base has expanded that much more as the Forest Park graduate has been the recipient of an outpouring of support since injuring her knee a week ago in the first game of Olympic qualifying for the U.S. Women’s National Team and then learning the following day she had torn ligaments.

Krieger was hurt late in the first half when, shooting on goal, she was tackled by a Dominican Republic player.

It was clear right afterward that the injury was serious as her teammates gestured for the trainers to come out to the field. Krieger was carried off on a stretcher and returned to the sidelines using crutches. An MRI was done Saturday that showed Krieger had torn her anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. Krieger, who returned home Monday, is expected to be out six to eight months.

Since people learned of Krieger’s injury, they’ve been non-stop in showing their love.

On Thursday, her father Ken received an email from a soccer club in Minnesota, asking for Ali’s address so they could send her a care package. Ken had never heard of the club, but was floored by their desire to reach out and express their sympathies to his daughter.

“To have that type of thing is only going to make Ali feel that much better,” Ken Krieger said.

That’s just one example of many. On the U.S. Women’s Soccer’s blog under the headline “Krieger Goes Down,” 109 people have so far shared their feelings about Krieger with their comments and the list keeps growing. Krieger herself is keeping her followers up to speed with updates on her Twitter account.

Perhaps the most heart-felt expression came Tuesday when each of her U.S. teammates paid tribute to Krieger by writing the word “liebe” on their arms. “Liebe,” which is German for “love.” is something that Krieger, who has played with FFC Frankfurt in Germany since 2007, has tattooed on her left arm.

The gesture touched Krieger so much she cried.

“Ali will be a part of this team – whether she’s here or not,” Abby Wambach told the Associated Press.

The U.S. defeated Mexico that night 4-0 to move within one win of earning a berth in the London Olympics. The Americans play Costa Rica Friday in the semifinals.

Krieger’s availability for the Olympics is a long shot, but she hasn’t been totally ruled out if the U.S. qualifies.

Ken Krieger said his daughter is tentatively scheduled to have surgery Feb. 2 in Arlington. Krieger is familiar with the doctor doing the procedure because he operated on her when she broke a bone in her left foot while running in December of 2008.

The U.S. team has about a month before the Olympics to submit its final roster.

“She’s confident she can get back,” Ken Krieger said.

Injuries have never stopped the 27-year-old Krieger before. Besides the foot injury, she also broke her leg at the end of her junior season at Penn State in 2006 and then had a close call the following January when blood clots formed in her lungs left her hospitalized.

“She’s a fighter,” Ken Krieger said.

To keep Krieger’s spirits up, Ashlyn Harris, a member of the U.S. National Team pool and a close friend of Krieger’s, arrived in town Wednesday and will be here to help Krieger get around until Jan. 31. Harris, a goalie, went through two knee surgeries herself and has offered plenty of encouragement.

“[The injury] is not a career-ender for [Ali],” Ken Krieger said.

(Source: www2.insidenova.com, via uswntgifs)