Carson Pickett’s historic USWNT debut with a limb difference
SALT LAKE CITY (BVM) – Carson Pickett made history last week and helped the U.S. women’s national soccer team to a 2-0 win over Columbia. On June 28, Pickett became the first player to ever play for the USWNT with a limb difference.
Carson Pickett made history as the first player with a limb difference to play for the USWNT in their 2-0 win vs. Colombia on Tuesday 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hequkELucy
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 29, 2022
The 28-year old defender filled in for Emily Fox at left-back and played the whole 90 minutes at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Pickett was born without a hand or a forearm on her left arm but that hasn’t stopped her from a successful soccer career.
She currently plays for the NWSL team the North Carolina Courage who traded for her in 2021. In her first year with the Courage she was a 2021 NWSL First-Team Starting XI, and was a finalist for Defender of the Year.
The Courage acquired her from the Orlando Pride. Before that, Pickett played for the OL Reign, who drafted her fourth overall in the 2016 NWSL Draft, as well as teams in Cyprus and Australia.
Prior to that she was a rising star in the youth soccer scene, making the U17 and U23 U.S. Youth National Team. Pickett was a seven-year varsity player for St. Johns Country Day School and earned a scholarship to Florida State University. She played all four seasons she was with the Seminoles before being drafted.
Pickett signed a deal with Nike in 2020 that made her the face of the company’s new cleats that don’t require the laces to be tied.
Now more than ever, we are one team. #PlayInside #playfortheworld @Nike pic.twitter.com/7j8xD70pRZ
— Carson Pickett (@Cars_Pickett16) March 21, 2020
Her Nike deal followed a viral video in 2019 that showed Pickett sharing a moment with a young boy who also was missing part of his arm. The moment the boy realized Pickett was just like him, pulled on everyone’s heart strings.
Pickett has been an advocate for limb different people even before the video made headlines and she will continue to be one. Along with the history she made, Pickett is also the oldest woman to make their debut with the national team since McCall Zerboni did it in 2017 at the age of 30.
The USWNT is preparing for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and Pickett hopes to be on the squad.
