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

Where does Naomi Girma currently stand on the international stage? 

The Stanford product collected the second most long passes completed on the Wave, only behind goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan while allowing just three players to dribble past her all season. She finished in the top six in clearances in the league and was one of two defenders, along with USWNT teammate Alana Cook, to start more than 19 matches in league play as a defender and allow two or fewer instances in which they were beaten off the dribble.

The opportunity may have opened up on both the national team and her club team, but for a player as young as Girma to take that role in stride tells a lot about her maturity and adaptability. In the last two USWNT matches, Girma has played two 45-minute shifts, piecing together two phenomenal halves of football where she acted as the anchor of the team.

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Girma’s composure, and calmness to make the right pass out of the back combined with her prolific one-on-one defending make her the player she is. The captain, Becky Sauerbrunn is 37 years old, and with the clock ticking on her international career, USWNT fans should not fret because the team has someone just as capable and ready to take the reins.

Questions remain in the midfield, and outside back positions for the USWNT, but when it comes to center back, the United States has its catalyst. Her background as a leader collegiately and at the youth international levels have helped with her quick rise on the professional, and senior international stage. Girma was a complete game-changer for the USWNT throughout what was a turbulent year in 2022, and so far in 2023, she has picked up right where she left off.