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Naomi Girma

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Naomi Girma
Girma with the San Diego Wave in 2023
Personal information
Full name Naomi Haile Girma[1]
Date of birth (2000-06-14) June 14, 2000 (age 24)[2]
Place of birth San Jose, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[3]
Position(s) Center back
Team information
Current team
 San Diego Wave
Number 4
Youth career
2010–2017[4] Central Valley Crossfire
2015–2018[5][6] Pioneer HS Mustangs
2016–2018 De Anza Force
2016–2018 California Thorns FC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Stanford Cardinal 68 (8)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– San Diego Wave 61 (0)
International career‡
2016 United States U17
2017 United States U19
2017–2020 United States U20
2022– United States 44 (2)
Medal record
Women's soccer
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team
CONCACAF W Gold Cup
Winner 2024 United States
CONCACAF W Championship
Winner 2022 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 30, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of December 3, 2024

Naomi Haile Girma (born June 14, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.

Girma played collegiate soccer for the Stanford Cardinal, captaining the team to win the 2019 Women's College Cup. The first overall pick of the 2022 NWSL Draft, she was named NWSL Rookie of the Year in 2022 and NWSL Defender of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

Girma represented the United States at the under-17, under-19 and under-20 level before her senior debut in 2022. She was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2023. She won the gold medal with the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she played every minute of the tournament.

Early life and education

[edit]

Girma was born in San Jose, California, to parents Girma Aweke and Seble Demissie, both Ethiopian immigrants who met in the Bay Area.[7][4][8] She has one brother, Nathaniel, who is three years older.[9] Her family speaks both Amharic and English.[4][8]

As a youth, Girma played for a local club her father formed for the Bay Area Ethiopian community in 2005, dubbed the Maleda Soccer Club, and attended Hacienda Elementary School and YMCA after-school basketball matches, following her brother's lead in sports.[4][8] She also practiced gymnastics for five years before settling on soccer in middle school.[8] After impressing coaches in 2009 during a practice to which she was invited by a friend, Girma played for a local youth club, Central Valley Crossfire, from 2010 until its dissolution in 2017. At Crossfire, playing under coach Bob Joyce, Girma was encouraged to participate in Olympic Development Program events and was called into the United States U-14 national team camp. She subsequently became a guest player for De Anza Force,[4] and also played for the California Thorns Academy[3][10][8] and Pioneer High School.[7][8]

Collegiate career

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Girma (right) playing for Stanford in 2019

Girma played collegiate soccer for the Stanford Cardinal and captained the team to win the 2019 Women's College Cup.[3][4] She missed the early part of the 2021 season after tearing her ACL.[11][4] During her recovery, she applied to and was accepted into the Mayfield Fellows Program for entrepreneurship at Stanford.[4] In December 2021, Girma decided to forgo her remaining collegiate eligibility and declared for the 2022 NWSL Draft.[12] She graduated from Stanford in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in symbolic systems[13] and continued pursuing a master's degree in management science and engineering at Stanford after becoming a professional soccer player.[4]

Club career

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Girma with the Wave in 2024

San Diego Wave FC selected Girma as the first pick of the 2022 NWSL Draft.[4][14][15] She was named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month in May and June 2022[16][17] and earned NWSL Rookie of the Month honors in June.[17] At the end of the season, she was named both NWSL Defender of the Year and NWSL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first player to win multiple end-of-year awards in her rookie season.[18]

On June 14, 2023, Wave FC announced that it had signed Girma to a new contract through 2026.[19] She led the Wave to the NWSL Shield in the 2023 season and was named the NWSL Defender of the Year for a second year in a row.[20]

In 2024, Girma played in a career-high 20 regular season matches for the Wave.[21] She was named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month in March/April and September, as well as to the NWSL Best XI Second Team at the end of the year.[22][23] Girma was also a nominee for NWSL Defender of the Year, but the award was instead won by Emily Sams, breaking Girma's two-year streak.[24][25]

International career

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External videos
video icon ESPN: Naomi's Girma's journey to the USWNT retrieved July 23, 2023

Girma has competed on the United States under-17, under-19 and under-20 and senior national teams.[3] She captained the under-20 team to win the 2020 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship under head coach Laura Harvey.[4][26] In December 2020, Girma won the 2020 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year award.[4][26][27][28]

Girma received her first call-up to the United States senior team in December 2019 but had to withdraw due to injury.[29] She was called up again in October 2020.[30][31] She debuted for the senior national team on April 12, 2022, in an international friendly against Uzbekistan.[32] She also appeared in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, and registered an assist on a goal by Sophia Smith against Jamaica during the tournament.[33]

In June 2023, Girma was named to the US squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.[34] She was a starting defender during the team's first group stage match against Vietnam: a 3–0 shutout.[35] During the first half, she started the sequence that led to the U.S.' second goal by lobbing the ball into the box to Alex Morgan who headed it to scorer Sophia Smith.[35] Girma was named U.S. Soccer's 2023 Female Player of the Year, becoming the first defender to win the award in its history as she was a part of a defense that allowed an average of just 0.17 goals per game during the year, the best in team history.[36]

In 2024, Girma was called up to represent the US at the inaugural 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup and 2024 SheBelieves Cup.[37][38] Girma was selected to the 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.[39] She was widely praised throughout the tournament as the team's most important player.[40][41] She was the only field player to play every minute of the tournament through to the gold medal game against Brazil, which the United States won 1–0 on a goal from Mallory Swanson.[40][42] She scored her first and second international goals in a friendly match against Argentina on October 30, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky.[43] In December 2024 she was voted by The Guardian at the 10th place among the top 100 women footballers in the world.[44]

Style of play

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Considered one of the best center backs in the world,[45][46][47] Girma is known for her composure, intelligence, and leadership.[48][49] She was previously a central or defensive midfielder in her youth before being converted to center back at a youth national team camp.[50][51] She anticipates play and positions herself well to thwart attackers and can use her speed to beat opponents one-on-one.[50][52][53] She has good technical ability and passes well to set up plays.[49][51][52]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of November 30, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Continental[c] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
San Diego Wave FC 2022 NWSL 19 0 6 0 2 0 — — 27 0
2023 19 0 2 0 1 0 — — 22 0
2024 23 0 1 0 — 2 0 0[d] 0 26 0
Career total 61 0 9 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 75 0
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs
  3. ^ Includes CONCACAF W Champions Cup
  4. ^ Includes NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup

International

[edit]
As of match played December 3, 2024
National Team Year Apps Goals
United States 2022 10 0
2023 16 0
2024 18 2
Total 44 2
International goals scored by Naomi Girma
No. Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 42 October 30, 2024 Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.  Argentina 1–0 3–0 Friendly [43]
2 3–0

Honors

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Stanford Cardinal

San Diego Wave

United States U17

United States U20

United States

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's WC France 2018 – List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. August 24, 2018. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Naomi Girma | USWNT | U.S. Soccer Official Site". www.ussoccer.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Naomi Girma – Women's Soccer". Stanford Cardinal.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxenham, Gwendolyn (June 29, 2022). "The Support System That Sparked a USWNT Opportunity". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Wehrung, Zara (February 1, 2015). "Freshman Soccer Star". Pioneer Pony Express. Vol. 55, no. 4. p. 7. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Marcus, Isabella; McBride, Samantha (February 24, 2018). "Girls soccer to face Pioneer in CCS open division". The Paly Voice. Palo Alto High School. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Stanford soccer captain Naomi Girma is a product of her Ethiopian roots". myScience. May 29, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Woitalla, Mike (May 29, 2020). "Rising U.S. star Naomi Girma on prepping for postponed U-20 World Cup, virtual team-building, and falling in love with soccer with a free-play start". Soccer America. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Armour, Nancy (July 25, 2024) [July 25, 2024]. "How USA's Naomi Girma became 'one of the best defenders in the world' for Olympics". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Medrano, Sofia (July 26, 2022). "Where the New Age of the USWNT Played Club Soccer". Girls Soccer Network. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Women's soccer looking for win to open 2021 season". The Stanford Daily. February 19, 2021.
  12. ^ @naomi_girma (December 16, 2021). "Thank you, Stanford 🖤" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Krasovic, Tom (December 23, 2021). "Naomi Girma captained national champs, earned degree". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  14. ^ Hruby, Emma (December 18, 2021). "San Diego Wave FC selects Naomi Girma with No. 1 pick of college draft". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  15. ^ Booth, Chuck; Herrera, Sandra (December 19, 2021). "NWSL Draft results, trade tracker: San Diego Wave take Naomi Girma with No. 1 pick; OL Reign make four trades". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Spiering, Chris (June 9, 2022). "NWSL awards SD Wave with three monthly honors". East Village Times. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d Rodriguez, Alicia (June 9, 2022). "San Diego Wave FC's Naomi Girma voted NWSL Rookie of the Month". LAG Confidential. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c "San Diego Wave FC Defender Naomi Girma Named 2022 NWSL Rookie of the Year, Presented by Ally". NWSL Soccer. October 27, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  19. ^ Hernandez, Cesar (June 14, 2023). "USWNT's Naomi Girma renews San Diego Wave FC contract through 2026". ESPN. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  20. ^ Hruby, Emma (November 8, 2023). "Naomi Girma Wins NWSL Defender of the Year in Back-to-Back Seasons". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "Naomi Girma 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  22. ^ Emerick, Tyler (November 18, 2024). "Wave Defender Naomi Girma Named to 2024 NWSL Best XI Second Team". BVM Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  23. ^ Emerick, Tyler (November 18, 2024). "Wave Defender Naomi Girma Named to 2024 NWSL Best XI Second Team". San Diego Wave Fútbol Club. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  24. ^ "2024 NWSL End of Year Awards Winners Revealed". SI. November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  25. ^ NWSL (November 12, 2024). "National Women's Soccer League Announces 2024 NWSL Award Finalists, Opens Fan Voting Round | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d "Naomi Girma Voted 2020 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. December 21, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "U.S. SOCCER HONORS: Girma named young female player of the year". Front Row Soccer. December 21, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  28. ^ Shaw, Sydney (January 19, 2021). "Stanford's Naomi Girma is staying focused on present". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  29. ^ "USWNT: December 2019 Identification Camp Roster Announced (Overview)". December 3, 2019.
  30. ^ Herrera, Sandra (October 9, 2020). "Vlatko Andonovski's USWNT camp roster features NWSL mainstays and Brazil-born Stanford star Catarina Macario". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  31. ^ Shaw, Sydney (October 19, 2020). "Stanford's Naomi Girma on National Team Camp and Using Her Platform". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  32. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (April 14, 2022). "Naomi Girma is not your average rookie". The Equalizer. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  33. ^ Rodriguez, Alicia (July 13, 2022). "For club and country, Naomi Girma is legit". LAG Confidential. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  34. ^ "Morgan and Rapinoe named in USA World Cup squad". BBC Sport.
  35. ^ a b "Morgan Earns an Assist and Girma Secures Defensive Shutout in USA's Win Against Vietnam in 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup". Our Sports Central. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  36. ^ "Naomi Girma named US Soccer's Female Player of the Year". Just Women's Sports. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  37. ^ "USWNT vs. Brazil: Match Recap | 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Final". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  38. ^ Singh • •, Sanjesh (April 10, 2024). "USWNT beats Canada to win 2024 SheBelieves Cup on penalties". NBC Chicago. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  39. ^ Linehan, Meg (June 26, 2024). "Alex Morgan not selected to USWNT for Paris Olympics: Full roster for 2024 Games". The Athletic. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Musarurwa, Kudzi (August 6, 2024). "Naomi Girma has established herself as the USWNT's most pivotal player". All for XI. SB Nation. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  41. ^ Borden, Sam (August 6, 2024). "USWNT's Hayes calls Girma 'best defender I've ever seen'". ESPN. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  42. ^ Mathews, Max (August 10, 2024). "USWNT vs Brazil live updates: Mallory Swanson breaks deadlock in Paris Olympics 2024 women's soccer final". The Athletic. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  43. ^ a b Goff, Steven (October 30, 2024). "USWNT wraps up camp with two goals for Naomi Girma and another win". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  44. ^ Laverty, Rich; Duncan, Pamela; Blight, Garry; Bloor, Steven (December 7, 2024). "The 100 best female footballers in the world 2024". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  45. ^ Spencer, Jamie (July 17, 2023). "The best defenders at the Women's World Cup 2023 - ranked". 90min.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  46. ^ "ESPN FC Women's Rank: World's 50 best soccer players of 2023". ESPN. December 14, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  47. ^ Hill, Courtney (July 24, 2024). "USWNT Defender Naomi Girma on Championing Representation and Inclusion Across Football: 'I Want It to Be My Legacy". Olympics. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  48. ^ Armour, Nancy (July 24, 2023). "Brains and athleticism make Naomi Girma essential to the USWNT at 2023 World Cup". USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  49. ^ a b Wine II, Donald (July 18, 2023). "Naomi Girma brings calm to USWNT defense". Stars and Stripes FC. SB Nation. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  50. ^ a b Watkins, Claire (July 17, 2023). "Naomi Girma, the USWNT's Consummate Superstar". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  51. ^ a b Kassouf, Jeff (July 14, 2024). "Naomi Girma: the brilliant scientist at the heart of USA's defense". The Guardian. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  52. ^ a b Lowery, Joseph (January 20, 2023). "What makes Naomi Girma key for USWNT and an NWSL standout with San Diego". The Athletic. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  53. ^ Dure, Beau (July 24, 2024). "US's immovable object will meet Zambia's unstoppable force in Olympic opener". The Guardian. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  54. ^ "San Diego Wave claim 2023 NWSL Shield". CONCACAF. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  55. ^ "San Diego Wave FC Defeat 1–0 NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2024 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup". March 16, 2024.
  56. ^ "TSG reveals CU17W Best XI, Awards". CONCACAF. March 14, 2016. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  57. ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (August 10, 2024). "Brazil 0-1 United States: Emma Hayes leads USA to Olympic gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  58. ^ Das, Andrew (July 19, 2022). "U.S. Women Beat Canada to Claim Spot in Paris Olympics". The New York Times.
  59. ^ "Horan the hero as USA down Brazil to win W Gold Cup crown". CONCACAF.com. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  60. ^ Herrera, Sandra (February 22, 2023). "USWNT vs. Brazil score: USA win SheBelieves Cup with Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson dominating in attack". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  61. ^ "2024 Shebelieves Cup final USWNT vs Canada result". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  62. ^ "Dumornay, Lavelle and Shaw headline CMU20 Best XI". CONCACAF. July 19, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  63. ^ "Naomi Girma Voted 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player Of The Year; Olivia Moultrie Voted 2023 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player Of The Year". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  64. ^ "San Diego Wave FC Centerback Naomi Girma Named 2023 NWSL Defender of the Year". National Women's Soccer League. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  65. ^ "NWSL Announces Winners of Mastercard Best XI Awards". NWSL Soccer. November 3, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  66. ^ "NWSL Announces Winners of 2023 Mastercard Best XI Awards". November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  67. ^ NWSL (November 18, 2024). "NWSL Announces Winners of 2024 NWSL Best XI Awards, presented by Amazon Prime | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  68. ^ "Pac-12 announces 2021 women's soccer All-Conference honors" (Press release). Pac-12. November 12, 2021. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  69. ^ "Barça stars dominate The Best FIFA Women's 11". fifa.com. December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
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