Korbin Albert received her first-career call-up to the U.S. women’s national team in November.
And, according to USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore, the Paris Saint-Germain FC midfielder and former Notre Dame player is fitting in well with her new teammates.
“I don’t think it’s easy to fly in, coming off the games that she’s come off of. She’s playing a bigger and bigger role at her club,” Kilgore told reporters on Dec. 1. “So she’s come in, she’s acclimated really well on a physical level. She’s integrated with the group really well. She’s taking information. She’s very, very studious.”
Albert, 20, has been a part of U.S. Soccer for years. She has played on the national futsal team, and she made appearances as a midfielder in the 2022 U-20 World Cup on behalf of the U.S.
While Albert is a midfielder through and through, the USWNT has been known to shuffle players’ positions. And Kilgore is making no exception of Albert.
“We have been integrating her in training in multiple positions, and we’ll decide shortly how we’ll use her in the games,” Kilgore said.
Albert is versatile enough to play any midfield position. And while Kilgore did not reveal which positions Albert is playing in camp, she and incoming coach Emma Hayes could stretch Albert’s versatility even further.
For example, USWNT veteran Crystal Dunn, who was not named to the December roster, plays as a midfielder in the NWSL but defense for the USWNT. And Jenna Nighswonger played defense for Gotham FC in her rookie season but has been called up the USWNT as a midfielder.
Regardless of where she will be playing, Albert is a young player who likely has a long future with the USWNT.
“It’s been excellent, she’s in a great space to be able to functionally perform her job with understanding of the people around her, what her exact role within the subgroup in her line that she’d be playing with,” Kilgore said.
