There continues to be a burgeoning interest in women’s sports. From the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris to the WNBA games, people are watching women athletes in awe more often. There’s a ton of women’s sports to delve into, including women’s soccer. Black female soccer players are equally talented and have inspiring stories. Check out these seven soccer players who are great on the field and even better off of it.
Naomi Girma
Naomi Girma is a center back for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. In addition, Girma’s a defender for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team. She first played soccer as a tradition passed on by her Ethiopian immigrant parents. Girma is renowned in soccer because of her leadership qualities. In addition, as the first USWNT player of Ethiopian descent, she often speaks up about making the sport more diverse. In 2024, she earned the title of most important player on the USWNT’s Olympic team.
Kim Crabbe
Kim Crabbe is a trailblazer in the soccer world. In 1986, Crabbe became the first African American woman to play for the USWNT. The Virginian native played on George Mason University’s 1985 NCAA National Championship soccer team. She played with the team from 1986 to 1988. Since retiring, Crabbe is the Outreach Program Director for the Wilmington Hammerheads Youth Football Club. The program provides outreach and coaching to youth players from underserved communities.
Eniola Aluko
Now, Eniola Aluko is a British investor and sports commentator. However, Aluko was once a professional soccer player. From 2004 to 2016, she played for the Lionesses, England’s women’s national football team. In 2016, Aluko was the first United Kingdom woman athlete to sign a multi-year endorsement deal with Under Armour.
Crystal Dunn
Crystal Dunn is a member of the National Women’s Soccer League club Gotham FC and the United States national team. Under the USWNT, Dunn won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and earned an Olympic gold medal. Throughout her career, she has spoken up about the lack of diversity in women’s soccer.
“I was, for a very long time, the only Black girl on the team until I was about 15,” Dunn told CBS Sports in 2024. “That’s a long time for me to navigate a space where I’m learning the fundamentals of this sport, but also learning about my identity, learning about how I fit into the world and there were some growing pains.”
Trinity Rodman
Trinity Rodman is a shining soccer star. Currently, Rodman plays forward for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League and the United States national team. Rodman has continued to thrive in her athletic career. In 2021, she was named the National Women’s Soccer League’s Rookie of the Year.
Jessica McDonald
Jessica McDonald is an American sports commentator and a former professional soccer player. During her soccer career, McDonald’s achievements included being the first NWSL player to earn 33 regular-season goals. Now, the former athlete and mom of two sons is a club ambassador for the North Carolina Courage.
Sophia Smith
Sophia Smith is a professional soccer player for the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. During undergraduate at Stanford, Smith’s team were the 2019 NCAA champions. That same year the athlete was named the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Smith’s career achievements didn’t stop there. In 2022, she was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.