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Naomi Girma, the USWNT’s consummate superstar

(Emily Osman/Just Women’s Sports – photos courtesy of Stanford Athletics & Getty Images)

It’s Dec. 8, 2019, on a dark soccer field in San Jose. Late in the second half of a scoreless battle between Stanford and North Carolina in the NCAA College Cup final, Stanford sophomore center-back Naomi Girma tweaks her hamstring.

“I could see her holding it, and I went over to her,” remembers former Stanford assistant coach Margueritte Aozasa, now the head coach of reigning NCAA champion UCLA. “And she was like, ‘Marg, don’t worry about me. I pulled my hamstring, but I’m not coming out. So, don’t even like — you don’t need to be over here.’”

The North Carolina striker pestering Girma in extra time was none other than Alessia Russo, now a marquee signing at Arsenal and a European champion with England. But in 2019, she was just another student-athlete playing to the ticking clock of an NCAA game, with a golden-goal format that inherently favored the attacker.

“It was one of the best matchups of the entire year, just watching the two of them go at each other,” Aozasa says.

Even on one hamstring, Girma shut Russo down, keeping the clean sheet to give Stanford the chance to win in a penalty shootout and claim their second national title in three years.

“We were in the attack, and they would counter-attack, and it would just be Naomi and Alessia in 60 yards of space,” Aozasa says. “And it was just like, ‘OK, who’s the better player in this moment?’ And time and time again, she stepped up to the challenge.”

That was the moment Aozasa remembers knowing Girma could become one of the best defenders in the country, and it didn’t take long for the then-sophomore to make good on her early promise. Known for her calm demeanor on and off the field, Girma combines the intellect of a perfectionist and a casual humility that belie her many accomplishments. Those qualities will be tested once again this summer when the 23-year-old steps up to her newest challenge.

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As a sophomore, Girma played a pivotal role in Stanford's 2019 NCAA Championship run. (Jim Shorin/ISI Photos)

Now a Cardinal legend and projected starter for the U.S. women’s national team as they pursue a record third-straight World Cup title in New Zealand, Girma recently found herself in San Jose at another inflection point in her career. This time, she was playing with the USWNT in their send-off game against Wales on July 9.

The city is not only a setting of college glory, but also her hometown. The daughter of Ethiopian immigrant parents, Girma got her start playing soccer at the local YMCA, quickly rising through the club ranks at CV Crossfire, De Anza Force and CA Thorns Academy to become a coveted recruit among the top universities.

For the local kid, picking Stanford seemed like an easy choice, and not only because of its rigorous academic standard and excellent soccer team — “It’s also 30 minutes from home,” Girma says. “And the campus … it’s beautiful. So there’s just so much to love about it, and yeah, I feel like if I thought about it more, it was the obvious right choice.”

Her reputation preceded her. Aozasa remembers the day she met the bubbly then-teenager on a college visit.

“Right away, she just has this maturity about her that I think is very recognizable. She’s always kind of been wise beyond her years,” says the coach.

“But then she also just has this joy about her, like she’s always smiling, always laughing, like she’s kind of the best in everybody. And even as a young kid at 15, I think that was very clear.”

At the time of her Stanford visit, Girma had only relatively recently converted to center-back, which she now recalls beginning at Olympic Development Camp and progressing from the U-14 level upward. She had previously been a defensive midfielder, and that experience informs her game to this day.

“For a lot of the time, I was still playing midfield for my club,” Girma says, “which I think kind of helped me feel comfortable on the ball or in tight spaces.”

“In the midfield, you’re used to pressure at 360 degrees,” Aozasa explains. “Typically as a defender, it’s only in front of you. So it feels kind of like this, maybe, a misrepresentation of how much time you have simply because you’re used to multiple defenders.

“I always point this out to younger players: You can notice in the way Naomi plays, even when she’s dribbling, she never is looking at the ball. She’s constantly scanning, which allows her to make these penetrating passes. And most importantly, I think it allows her to change her mind.”

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Girma developed into a pro-ready player under coach Margueritte Aozasa at Stanford. (John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Girma brought all of those qualities to Stanford from the first moment she stepped onto the training field. Still, her ascension to a starting role for the team came a bit earlier than expected. In the middle of Girma’s first season in 2018, Tierna Davidson (now a World Champion with the 2019 USWNT) suffered a broken ankle. Without missing a step, the freshman Girma stepped into her place, contributing calmly to a squad that struggled with injuries throughout the season.

“It was really fascinating to see her just step in kind of at a moment’s notice, and just take over the game from a center-back position at a very young age,” says Aozasa.

“When she was coming into college, I asked our college coaches, I said, ‘OK, tell me about the freshman class,” says former Stanford and current U.S. teammate Alana Cook. “And the way they talked about Naomi, it was an inevitability that she would be here.”

The Stanford rosters that brought home national championships in 2017 and 2019 will likely be remembered for years to come.

In 2019 alone, Girma played with future USWNT teammates Sophia Smith and Catarina Macario, as well as future pros like Sam Hiatt, Sierra Enge, Kiki Pickett and Madison Haley. That squad also included penalty shootout hero Katie Meyer, who as a freshman goalkeeper secured the championship win for the Cardinal. Meyer, Girma’s close friend and co-captain, died by suicide in March 2022.

“Sometimes they would do some things in training, and me and the rest of the staff would just look at each other,” Aozasa says of her 2019 team. “I say I had the easiest job in college soccer at that point. We just, for the most part, gave them a little bit of structure, kind of tried to teach them to be on the same page, to make different reads. But we also tried to give them a lot of freedom, because we knew their skill level alone and their individual creativity and ability was off the charts.”

“I didn’t realize how good we were,” Girma says. “I wish I knew and it was a super strategic choice, [but] for me, I was really into getting my education and like challenging myself there, and then also challenging myself on a soccer field, that I felt like Stanford gave me the best opportunity for both.”

The defender dealt with adversity in various forms after Stanford’s national championship run. In 2020, the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and an ACL injury in 2021 disrupted her final season. But the time Girma spent away from the field also gave her an opportunity to lean into her studies, something she says has always been a priority.

A Symbolic Systems/Management Science & Engineering major, she joined the prestigious Mayfield Fellow Program as a senior, an opportunity given to only 12 Stanford students.

“Anytime there was a difficult moment, whether it was soccer, whether it was school, she still would go, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve got three midterms this week,’ and then she’d start laughing,” says Aozasa. “Like, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be hard, but I can do it.’”

“I think it can be hard when soccer becomes your identity, and if that’s not going well, then everything’s not going well,” says Girma. “So, just making sure that I have a balance in my life with my friends and my family to keep me grounded too is really helpful for me.”

Her passion for learning is something she’s continued to this day. She is pursuing a Master’s Degree in addition to her full-time work as a professional soccer player, though she took an understandable leave of absence in early 2023 to focus on preparing for the World Cup. She’s characteristically unassuming when discussing her workload.

“I’m really interested in it, so it doesn’t feel like a drag,” she says of her post-graduate studies.

After juggling intense amounts of soccer and school in college, Girma proved herself ready for the NWSL immediately after being drafted No. 1 overall by the San Diego Wave in 2022. The move raised some eyebrows initially due to San Diego’s roster needs, but head coach Casey Stoney — a former defender herself — said she never wavered from her first choice.

The pick paid off as Girma earned instant accolades, winning both Rookie and Defender of the Year and even making the Most Valuable Player shortlist. The Wave also achieved unprecedented success for an expansion side in their inaugural season, going all the way to the NWSL semifinals.

“I think I felt good,” Girma casually concedes about her historic rookie season. “I felt like I had a good year as a rookie and as a defender, and it was cool to get an MVP spot on the list because defenders don’t usually get that.”

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Girma recently signed a contract extension with San Diego through the 2026 season. (Ray Acevedo/USA TODAY Sports)

“Nay could probably go into any environment and be the ultimate professional, be just a rock defensively, just so solid, get along with anybody,” says San Diego and USWNT teammate Alex Morgan.

“Just being teammates with her is great because she does not seem like she is a rookie at all — I mean, now she’s not technically a rookie. But last year, she was a huge staple and a rock for this team, and her role is only going to continue to expand.”

Girma isn’t considered a flashy player, which is not uncommon for the center-back role, but her consistency stands out. Similar to her personality off the field, her movements are small and unassuming. Girma positions herself between an attacker and the goal behind her with an ease of movement that evokes a young Becky Sauerbrunn.

She also has a quiet flair to the way she contains opponents. At 5-foot-7, instead of using her height to impose angles, she turns gravity into an ally. Picking an approaching angle, she will adjust her weight toward the ground with expert positioning to take downhill momentum away from an attacker, then deftly turn the ball around and distribute to a forward teammate.

“She covers ground so quickly. Her footwork in 1v1 defending and the way she can defend 1v1 is some of the best I’ve ever seen,” says Stoney. “Her ceiling is so high, we’ve not even scratched the surface with Naomi yet. I think she could be one of the best center-backs in the world.”

“She reads the game really well, which is kind of a very ambiguous, abstract term,” says Aozasa. “But she just understands preventative positioning so she is able to deny passing lanes. She’s able to read off the cues of the attacking player to just put herself in a really great position to either prevent a dangerous pass, or to make a play on a dangerous pass.”

Girma gives credit for her success to the people around her, both in training environments and off the field. She considers Sophia Smith one of her best friends and notes the impact Sauerbrunn has had on her as a young U.S. defender.

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Girma and Sophia Smith became close friends while playing together at Stanford. (Courtesy of Mollie Smith)

“Making sure that that training mentality, training environment is the best it could be, I think that kind of helps me when I go up to the next level,” she says. “And just really not having an ego, putting that aside, and just wanting to learn and wanting to get better.”

Simultaneously an expert and a student, Girma will have to rely on her ability to organize and communicate quickly as she once again raises her level to match up against the best at the World Cup. It’s a role Stoney sees her growing into.

“I don’t think Naomi, coming into the league, realized how good she was,” she says. “So her ability to solve pressure on the dribble and play her way out, she wouldn’t do it as much early on in the games.”

Now seasoned at the professional level, Girma approaches defensive pressure and organization like an equation she is able to solve. She’s frequently tasked with setting up play for the USWNT, bringing the ball forward against teams in a low-block defense and setting tempo in higher transitional games. Against Wales in the team’s send-off match, she tried different approaches in ball progression, sometimes dribbling up as far as the opponent’s penalty area with her eyes always scanning, or sending a searching diagonal ball out to the wingers.

“There’s very few players in my whole tenure that have stepped in and it’s just like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a ‘first person on the team sheet’ type of player every single time,” Megan Rapinoe told reporters in February. “She’s just that good. I don’t think you can leave her off the field.”

Girma’s coaches have seen that potential in her for a while now.

“I think she’s really stepping up in leadership qualities now,” says Stoney. “And I think actually being picked for the national team and playing, all of a sudden you can see that confidence and that be more assured in our performance.”

“She doesn’t just organize the player right in front of her — she has an ability to organize five or six players around her, which at the highest level is super, super important,” says Aozasa. “Because it’s not just like she understands the movements that she’s making. It’s part of a synchronous movement of three or four people, and she’s able to kind of direct that in real time.”

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Girma is expected to start at center-back for the USWNT at the World Cup. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Girma will also have increased responsibility at the World Cup, anchoring a new backline that will be without longtime captain Becky Sauerbrunn due to injury. The U.S. is bringing only three center-backs, none of whom have extensive international experience at the position. Girma’s calming presence will be tested at the highest level, but she feels prepared for what’s next.

“There’s just a huge emphasis on details and over-communicating,” Girma says of the USWNT environment under head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has acknowledged she is a definite starter. “And like doing those in training so that when it’s a big moment in the game, it’s second nature and it’s [not] something out of the ordinary.”

The next time Naomi Girma matches up 1v1 against Alessia Russo, it could be in front of tens of thousands of fans in a winner-take-all moment for the World Cup trophy. But for now, the defender is taking her usual unassuming approach, enjoying with her family the fulfillment of a promise that began in San Jose, and has extended to San Diego and beyond.

“They love it, it’s so fun,” Girma says. “I feel like we’ve all kind of been on this journey together. Now we’re all like, ‘We’re living the dream.’”

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Top Tennis Stars Crash Out of Wimbledon in the First Round

US tennis star Coco Gauff reacts to her 2025 Wimbledon first-round loss to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska.
World No. 2 Coco Gauff fell to Ukraine's unseeded Dayana Yastremska in the first round of 2025 Wimbledon on Tuesday. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

USWNT Faces Rivals Canada in Final Summer Friendly

USWNT players Alyssa Thompson and Sam Meza eye the ball during a June 2025 training camp.
The USWNT will face Canada in their final summer friendly on Wednesday. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

Indiana Upsets Minnesota, Wins WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Without Clark

The Indiana Fever celebrate and lift the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup trophy.
The Indiana Fever upset the Minnesota Lynx to win the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever Guard Sophie Cunningham Sounds Off on WNBA Expansion

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham speaks to reporters before the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed concern about the new WNBA expansion cities. (David Dow /NBAE via Getty Images)

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."

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