For three decades, the U.S. women's national team has enjoyed the incredible luxury of stability between the posts. Keepers sustain notably longer and more stable primes than other players, and therefore turn over at the international and club levels far less often. But even then, the USWNT getting 30 years of world-class goalkeeping from Briana Scurry, Hope Solo, and Alyssa Naeher is extremely special. Their excellent, slightly overlapping careers cover every major tournament the USWNT has played since the 1991 World Cup. It is hard to imagine the team winning four World Cups and five Olympic gold medals without those six hands.
But Naeher retired from the USWNT last December, leaving the team without a no-shit first option for the first time in 30 years. Turnover was never a problem in past eras, as Solo was pushing Scurry for the No.1 shirt for years before she took over, just as Naeher pushed Solo. Nobody in the American player pool quite ever pushed Naeher, as the next-most-capped keeper, Casey Murphy, has faded from the picture. The three keepers called up for a pair of April friendlies against Brazil came to camp with 12 total caps. Emma Hayes has a minor succession crisis on her hands.
A "minor crisis" is almost a contradiction in terms, though the noun is warranted by the 30-year period of ease, and the adjective by the strength of the players contending in what Hayes has turned into a half-year tryout period. Jane Campbell had 10 of those 12 caps, though she didn't feature in the friendlies. In the second Brazil game, Hayes gave Mandy McGlynn her third cap, and the USWNT lost 2-1. McGlynn wasn't really "at fault" for either goal, though she had a few sketchy moments playing out of the back, and Brazil's first goal was hit past her fully outstretched arms.
That doesn't really worry me, because of how great Phallon Tullis-Joyce has been. It's hard not to root for Tullis-Joyce, not just because her shot-stopping ability is so thrilling, but because she's a late bloomer. In her first USWNT cap earlier this month, she held Brazil scoreless and racked up six saves. The Manchester United keeper is three inches taller than McGlynn and the superior athlete, and while she's also not super-gifted with the ball at her feet, she is the much better shot-stopper. For more evidence of said shot-stopping, check out this incredible double-save she made on Sunday in the F.A. Cup semis against Man City. Not only did she read the curve on Yui Hasegawa's well-struck ball, she popped back up instantly to make a reflex kick-save.
That is world-class stuff, the sort that keepers make when they're confident and in the flow. Tullis-Joyce has been the Women's Super League's best keeper this season, with a league-best 12 clean sheets. After a fifth-place finish in 2023-24, United has been resurgent this season, with 42 points from 18 matches. That's not all because Tullis-Joyce succeeded England No. 1 Mary Earps, though a league-best nine goals allowed this year after they gave up 32 last year is pretty stark. The only problem with Tullis-Joyce's candidacy is her relative inexperience playing out of the back.
"Everything from set pieces to defending the cross, she did a tremendous job," Hayes said after the Brazil win. "Her next step is something I’ve been clear on: her team Man United don’t play a lot of buildup. They tend to go from back to front but her next steps is with pressure being able to make the short passes to come out." She's right; United prefer to huck it rather than play intricate, long sequences, especially compared to Campbell and Murphy's NWSL squads. Hayes has said she wants to figure out the position battle by this summer, so whichever player wins the shirt can spend a few years getting ready for the 2027 World Cup. What better timing for Tullis-Joyce to have her breakout year.
