Now Raso has revealed how she confronted the potentially catastrophic injury.

The 23-year-old was running towards goal when she was hit in the back by Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe and instantly felt excruciating pain.

"I don’t know who was around me at the time, but I cried for ‘help’ over and over again," Raso told Professional Footballers Australia website.

"Once the medical team arrived on the field, I was asked numerous questions about where the pain was, if I could feel my leg, could I wiggle my toes?

"I couldn’t answer any of the questions. I was in shock, I was in agonizing pain, and I just knew that something really bad had happened." 

Raso was stretched from the field in visible pain and carted to the locker room, where her dad came down from the stands to meet her. 

Once at the hospital she was sent for CT scans and continually monitored by nurses, doctors and neurosurgeons before she was told she had fractured three lumbar vertebrae. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Made it from my bed to the chair. Who knew that would make me so happy 🏥💁🏻‍♀️

A post shared by Hayley Raso (@hayleyraso) on

"I knew almost immediately that I wasn’t okay, but I don’t think I could have ever prepared myself to hear the words, ‘The bad news is, you’ve broken your back’," she said.

"My first thought was – I’ll never be able to walk again. I broke down. So many emotions came over me. All I could think about was, how am I going to live my life like this."

Her mum, who has been watching the game live in Australia, booked a flight over to the United States as soon as she heard what had happened.

Raso has had immense support from the Thorns community with coach Mark Parsons staying with her until 4am and the club's athletic trainer staying behind in Washington DC for the week following the incident.

She was eventually transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital where she stayed until she was well enough to return to Portland.

Frustratingly, she had to watch Portland's last home game of the season on TV from her hospital bed.

But while Raso wasn't able to be there, fans and teammate rallied around her on a Facetime call during celebrations.

"Hearing the whole crowd chant my name was indescribable, I felt like I was really there in that moment," Raso admitted.

"It made me set a new goal for myself – to progress my rehabilitation enough to be discharged and able to fly back to Portland in time for the semi-final game."

Raso is currently completing rehabilitation in Portland but is set to arrive in Australia next week where she will meet with neurosurgeons and continue her rehab at home.

While the whole process has been tough and has tested her, she says she is lucky to be okay. 

"It’s been tough. I have good days and bad days. It’s been extremely challenging, not only physically, but mentally," Raso said.

"I usually set big goals for myself, but this injury made rolling over, sitting up or taking a step, a huge achievement for me.

"Going through this injury has really tested my character and changed my perspective on life. I am so lucky to be okay, to walk again, to play soccer again and to do the things I love again."

Raso won't feature in the Matildas matches against France and England in October and is also set to miss the two matches against Chile but is aiming to return in time to play some part in the new W-League season.

"I will only miss some games at the start of the season, so it’s exciting to look forward to making my comeback at home in front of my friends and family," she said.

The injury will be a learning curve for the NWSL with Raso suggesting measures need to be in place to ensure that the pain she experienced throughout the process does not happen to anyone else.

She added: "I think measures need to be put in place to adequately treat and transport any player with a suspected spinal cord injury, to minimise the pain and further risk of injury that I experienced."