Kealia Watt grew up playing soccer in Utah, won a U-20 World Cup with the USWNT, and spent eight seasons in the NWSL. However, none of those accolades made it into Real Salt Lake's social media post this week.
The MLS club apologized on Thursday after welcoming the Watt family to Wednesday's exhibition match against Burnley F.C. by name-checking only her husband, former NFL star JJ Watt.
The woman in the photo grew up literally down the road, won 4 Utah state championships (1 in this exact stadium), Gatorade Player of the Year twice, National Player of the Year, scored the fastest first goal in USWNT history…
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 16, 2026
Could probably be worth a mention, but idk. https://t.co/ZJem8Nt9vo
JJ Watt Calls Out MLS Club for Sidelining Wife Kealia Watt's Soccer Career
JJ Watt quickly called out the club on social media, noting his wife's resume was "probably worth a mention."
Kealia Watt won four consecutive state titles in Utah and earned two Gatorade Player of the Year awards. She then helped the US win the 2012 U-20 World Cup, scoring the title-clinching goal against Germany. Currently, she serves as a sports analyst for Amazon Prime.
"We made an honest mistake," Real Salt Lake wrote in a follow-up post that detailed her eight NWSL seasons with the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars. "When we welcomed the Watt family to America First Field, we should have recognized Kealia Watt for exactly who she is."
Still, the incident underscored a familiar problem. Labeling an accomplished soccer player as simply JJ Watt's wife reflects the kind of erasure women's sports athletes continue to push back against.
