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Solidifying herself among the best: The rise of Naomi Girma on the USWNT

By Caden Charpentier

HARRISON, NJ - NOVEMBER 13: Naomi Girma #12 of the United States enters the field for warmups before a game between Germany and USWNT at Red Bull Arena on November 13, 2022 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
HARRISON, NJ - NOVEMBER 13: Naomi Girma #12 of the United States enters the field for warmups before a game between Germany and USWNT at Red Bull Arena on November 13, 2022 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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SAN JOSE, CA – DECEMBER 8: Naomi Girma #2 of the Stanford Cardinal during warmups during a game between UNC and Stanford Soccer W at Avaya Stadium on December 8, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images).
SAN JOSE, CA – DECEMBER 8: Naomi Girma #2 of the Stanford Cardinal during warmups during a game between UNC and Stanford Soccer W at Avaya Stadium on December 8, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images). /

What has Naomi Girma’s growth been like at the pro-level? 

Lifted up by the Bay Area’s Ethiopian community and a family that defined resilience, Girma has always credited her success to the community she grew up in. Her father fled the corruption in his home country with a remarkable story of survival, and worked his way as a dishwasher to pay for his education before he met his wife in San Jose. Thanks to her coach on the Central Valley Crossfire, Bob Joyce, and her mother taking her to tournaments, Girma grew her presence on the youth national teams. That eventually led to her being recruited by one of the most prestigious women’s soccer schools in the country.

During her time with the Stanford Cardinal, Girma won two Pac-12 conference titles and captained her team for three of her years in Palo Alto. The Ethiopian-American started in every match during her final two seasons with Stanford, earning her a spot as one of the MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists in 2021. Despite her prestigious collegiate career, there were still questions if she would be going No. 1 overall in the NWSL draft. Jaelin Howell was a highly thought-of midfielder out of Florida State that won the Hermann trophy in back-to-back seasons.

With the first selection leading into their inaugural campaign, the San Diego Wave chose the two-time Pac-12 Defender of the Year to be a leader in the club’s backline of the future, along with Dahlkemper. She became the fourth Stanford player in the previous five drafts to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick.

In just her first season with the Wave, Girma earned the NWSL Defender of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Girma would go on to play in the third most minutes of any San Diego Wave player to kick off her NWSL career, starting in 24 of the 25 matches she played in throughout all competitions. Girma had just one shot all season but completed approximately 82 percent of her passes to lead her team.

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