Meet Team USA's Talented Goalkeepers For the 2023 Women's World Cup
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It's hard to determine which players on a soccer field are the most "important." But there's only one who serves as the last line of defense to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal, and that's the goalkeeper. The role of the goalkeeper (aka goalie) is highly specialized, and it's also one of the most exclusive clubs in the sport. Only 26 women have held the position for the US national team in the last 37 years, according to Everybody Soccer, and there are typically only approximately three goalies named to the team for major tournaments like the Olympics or the World Cup.
That exclusive club includes the three women named to the USWNT roster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. One of the chosen trio has nearly 100 appearances for the USWNT, while another has 14 and the third has just one. All three women have proven themselves in both club soccer and on the national team, and we can't wait to see them bring their unique strengths to this year's World Cup. Here's what to know about the USWNT's talented trio of goalies.
Aubrey Kingsbury
Aubrey Kingsbury, 31, is making her first World Cup appearance at the 2023 tournament. She currently plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and has been on its roster since 2018.
The Cincinnati native received her first call-up to the USWNT in 2019 and was named to the team again in 2021, but she didn't see any playing time at that point. Kingsbury made her USWNT debut in April 2022 in a match against Uzbekistan, where she became only the eighth player in USWNT history to keep a clean sheet in her first match, according to US Soccer. (A clean sheet means the other team didn't score any goals; the USWNT won the game 9-0.) Her debut also made her the fifth player to debut for the USWNT at age 30 or older and the oldest goalkeeper to earn a first cap (i.e. appearance for a senior national team) for the USWNT.
Casey Murphy
Casey Murphy, 27, currently plays for the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL. After growing up in Bridgewater, NJ, she began her professional soccer career by playing for a season in France before returning to play in the NWSL.
Before joining the ranks of the USWNT at the senior level, Murphy was a staple of the junior national teams. She was a starter for the United States under-20 national team during the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup (where the US placed fourth) and later was on the United States under-23 team as well. Murphy earned her first senior call-up in 2017, but she made her first official appearance for the USWNT in 2021, where she became the seventh US goalkeeper to earn a shutout (when the other team doesn't score any goals) in her debut, per US Soccer, and the tallest goalie in USWNT history.
Alyssa Naeher
Alyssa Naeher, a 35-year-old native of Bridgeport, CT, is the senior of the three World Cup goalkeepers, and she's got one extremely impressive résumé behind her. She's currently playing for the Chicago Red Stars. In 2014, she was named the 2014 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year after setting a league record with 106 saves, and in 2020, she was one of three finalists for Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper of the Year.
Naeher is a two-time Olympian, as part of the squads for both 2016 and 2020, winning the bronze medal in 2020. She also was on both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup rosters for the US. In 2015, she was the backup goalie behind Hope Solo, and in 2019, she played every minute of all seven matches, according to US Soccer. She became only the fifth goalkeeper in history to earn a shutout (when the other team doesn't score) in a Women's World Cup Final.