Carson Pickett has become the first person with a limb difference to play for the US Women’s National Team (USWNT).
On Tuesday, June 29, the 28-year-old helped her side to a 2-0 victory in a friendly against Colombia.
Carson, who was born without part of her left arm, has played for the North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) since February 2021 when she was traded from Orlando Pride.
She was named to the 2021 NWSL First-Team Starting XI and was a finalist for 2021 Defender of the Year. This was rewarded with a call up to the national squad.
Filling in for Emily Fox, Pickett stayed on the field for all 90 minutes against Colombia.
“Carson did very well in training for us last week and with the management of minutes for Emily Fox that we had, we felt like Carson would be a good replacement, and I’m happy that she was able to perform well for 90 minutes,” U.S. Coach Vlatko Andonovski told ESPN.
At 28, Carson is the oldest U.S. woman to make her debut for the national team since 30-year-old McCall Zerboni in 2017.