Of the 11 players on a soccer field, only one is tasked with protecting the goal. The goalkeeper may just have the most important (and most difficult) role of all and the US women's national soccer team goalie is one of the most exclusive positions in all of professional soccer — over the past 34 years, only 23 women have taken on the position [1] for the national team.
The US roster [2] for this year's Women's World Cup [3] has been released, and three of those 23 players will potentially play goalkeeper. With one goalie boasting 45 caps (or appearances at the international level) and another one only one, the team is bringing a varied set of talent. Here's everything you should know about this year's Team USA World Cup goalies.
Adrianna Franch
Twenty-eight-year-old Adrianna Franch currently plays for the Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a team she signed with in 2015 [5]. She received a call to attend the annual training camp for the US women's national team in January 2018 and was also named to the roster for the 2018 Tournament of Nations. However, the two-time NWSL Player of the Year didn't see any playing time during the tournament [6], as starting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher played all three games.
Franch finally got her chance to shine in the SheBelieves Cup in February 2019. When Naeher suffered a shoulder injury in USA's first game against Japan, Franch took her place, playing the entirety of the USWNT's second match [7] against England, which marked her first-ever start and first (and only) cap with the national team. This year also marks Franch's first World Cup selection [8] with the USWNT.
Ashlyn Harris
Thirty-three-year-old Ashlyn Harris has been a member of the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League since 2016. She made her first appearance with the US women's national team [9] in a match against Sweden back in 2013, and in 2015, Harris earned her first World Cup selection. That also happened to be the year that the US defeated Japan 5–2 in the World Cup final, making Harris a World Cup Champion [10] — though, unfortunately, she didn't actually get any planning time [11].
Harris and Alyssa Naeher began competing for the USWNT number one goalkeeper spot in 2016, though as 2017 progressed, Naeher began seeing most of the starts in goal [12]. After Harris sustained a quad injury in May 2017 [13], she only appeared in three games for the US, and still remains the back-up keeper to Naeher [14]. This year marks Harris' second World Cup appearance, which she will enter with 21 caps under her belt.
Alyssa Naeher
Thirty-one-year-old Alyssa Naeher has been a member of the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League since she was traded to the team in 2016 [15]. She was on the roster for the 2015 World Cup in Canada alongside Harris, but (just like Harris) she didn't play any minutes in the tournament. She was again included on the US women's national team roster for the 2016 Summer Olympics — only one of two goalies on the roster [16] — after beating out Harris for the spot [17].
Though the US national team didn't take home the gold at Rio, Naeher did become the USWNT's number one goalkeeper [18] following the loss, taking over the spot that had been held by Hope Solo for several years and keeping it ever since. Naeher will enter her second World Cup appearance as the starting goalie, with 45 caps to her name.
