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Tara McKeown

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Tara McKeown
McKeown with the Washington Spirit in 2024
Personal information
Full name Tara Leana McKeown[1]
Date of birth (1999-07-02) July 2, 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Newbury Park, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Center back
Team information
Current team
 Washington Spirit
Number 9
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 USC Trojans 76 (33)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Washington Spirit 68 (5)
International career
2017–2018 United States U20
2019 United States U23
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 22, 2023

Tara Leana McKeown (born July 2, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Washington Spirit. Formerly a forward, she played college soccer for the USC Trojans before being drafted eighth overall by the Spirit in the 2021 NWSL Draft.

Early life

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Born to Conor and Tracy McKeown in Newbury Park, California, McKeown was raised with two sisters and one brother. She attended Newbury Park High School, where she played soccer and competed in hurdles in track.[2]

College career

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McKeown attended the University of Southern California and featured in 76 matches for the Trojans from 2017 to 2021. In her freshman year, McKeown appeared in all 20 games during the season and was included 2017 Pac-12 All-Freshman team.[3] In her junior year, McKeown transitioned from playing as a fullback to a forward.[4] She finished the year with 15 goals and 8 assists, getting named the 2019 Pac-12 Forward of the Year and becoming a semifinalist for the Mac Hermann Trophy. In her final year of college, McKeown started all 14 games and led the team in assists.[5]

Club career

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The Washington Spirit selected McKeown with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NWSL Draft.[6] Earlier, the Spirit had traded $100,000 in NWSL allocation money and its second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft to Sky Blue FC in order to obtain the pick.[7] After being selected, McKeown chose to play in her final year with USC before joining the Spirit after the college soccer season concluded.[8] On May 15, 2021, the Spirit signed McKeown to a two-year contract with an option for a third year.[9]

On May 16, 2021, McKeown made her NWSL debut, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute for Ashley Sanchez in a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride.[10][11] On September 26, 2021, McKeown scored her first goal for the Spirit in a game vs Kansas City in a 2–1 victory. Later in the season, McKeown appeared in the 2021 NWSL Championship, helping the Spirit beat the Chicago Red Stars in a 2-1 result and earn the first NWSL Championship win in club history. McKeown directly contributed to the victory, drawing a penalty in the 66th minute of the match after being fouled in the box by Chicago defender Tierna Davidson.[12] McKeown's teammate, Andi Sullivan, converted the penalty kick and drew the two teams level.[13]

In 2022, McKeown appeared in 12 regular season games and scored 3 goals.[14]

On January 19, 2023, the Spirit announced that the club had re-signed McKeown on a three-year contract with a team option for 2026.[15] On July 24, 2023, McKeown was announced as the Spirit's team Ambassador in the 2023 Nationwide Community Impact Program. She partnered with DC Scores, working to support the girls' soccer pipeline in Washington, D.C.[16][17] At the start of the 2023 NWSL season, McKeown was converted from a forward into a center back.[18][19] McKeown played in 21 of the 22 regular season matches for the Spirit, leading the NWSL in clearances.[20] On June 21, 2023, McKeown was selected as the NWSL Player of the Week after scoring 2 goals (in separate competitions) and making several important defensive actions.[21][22][23]

McKeown played every minute of the 2024 season for the Spirit, becoming an iron woman for the first time.[24] During the Spirit's quarterfinal playoff game against Bay FC, McKeown scored a goal from outside the box in the 86th minute. McKeown's strike equalized the score at 1–1, pushing the game into extra time. The Spirit would later go on to win the match 2–1, advancing to the semifinals.[25][26]

International career

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McKeown has played internationally for the United States women's national under-20 soccer team. On July 17, 2018, McKeown was named to the roster for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, alongside USC teammate Savannah DeMelo.[27][28][29] McKeown appeared in the starting lineup for the United States in the team's second group stage match, versus Paraguay.[30]

In 2019, McKeown was a member of the United States women's national under-23 soccer team. She was part of the squad that participated in the 2019 Women’s International U-23 La Manga Tournament.[31] McKeown was the lone goalscorer for the United States in its second match of the competition, a 3-1 loss against France. The goal was McKeown's first international goal at any level.[32]

Career statistics

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As of June 9, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Washington Spirit 2021 NWSL 23 1 0 0 3 0 26 1
2022 12 3 2 0 — 14 3
2023 21 1 4 1 — 25 2
2024 12 0 — — 12 0
Career total 68 5 6 1 3 0 77 6
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs

Honors

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Washington Spirit

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's WC France 2018 – List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. August 24, 2018. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. ^ "Tara McKeown - Women's Soccer". USC Athletics. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  3. ^ "Tara McKeown - Women's Soccer". USC Athletics. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  4. ^ Berg, Aidan (2019-09-20). "McKeown has taken the NCAA by storm". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  5. ^ "Tara McKeown - Women's Soccer". USC Athletics. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  6. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  7. ^ Curley, Joe. "Newbury Park's McKeown drafted by Washington Spirit in first round of NWSL draft". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  8. ^ Floyd, Thomas (June 30, 2021). "Amid the pandemic, Spirit's Tara McKeown makes a unusually swift college-to-pros transition". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ Spirit, Washington (2021-05-15). "Spirit Sign 2021 Draft Pick Tara McKeown to Rookie Contract". Washington Spirit. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  10. ^ "Orlando 1-1 Washington (May 16, 2021) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  11. ^ Carlisle, André (2021-05-16). "Recap: Spirit share points after late Orlando equalizer". Black And Red United. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  12. ^ "Chicago Red Stars fall short in the NWSL championship game, losing 2-1 to the Washington Spirit: 'It's been hard because we've had that taste in our mouth of losing in a final'". Chicago Tribune. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  13. ^ "NWSL final: Washington Spirit a fitting champion after overcoming year of turmoil". ESPN.com. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  14. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  15. ^ Spirit, Washington (2023-01-19). "Washington Spirit Signs Forward Tara McKeown to New Contract". Washington Spirit. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  16. ^ Spirit, Washington (2023-07-24). "Tara McKeown Selected as Spirit Ambassador in 2023 NWSL Nationwide Community Impact Program". Washington Spirit. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  17. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  18. ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  19. ^ "Washington Spirit sends Ashley Sanchez to North Carolina, trades Sam Stabb during busy draft day". WTOP News. 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  20. ^ "Tara McKeown and the (actual) hardest thing to do in soccer". The District Press. 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  21. ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  22. ^ Tara McKeown really DOES IT ALL! Bud Light Player of the Week ✅ | By National Women's Soccer League | Facebook. Retrieved 2024-06-10 – via www.facebook.com.
  23. ^ "Tara McKeown". Washington Spirit. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  24. ^ "Seven NWSL Players Declared 2024 Iron Women". National Women's Soccer League. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  25. ^ "Tara McKeown Sparks Washington Spirit Comeback Playoff Win Over Bay FC". SI. 2024-11-11. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  26. ^ Floyd, Thomas (November 10, 2024). "Tara McKeown's last-gasp strike saves the Spirit in playoff opener". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "USA Roster Named for 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup - U.S. Soccer". 2018-07-17. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  28. ^ "USA roster set for 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup". SoccerWire. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  29. ^ "DeMelo, McKeown and Hocking to Represent USA at U-20 World Cup". USC Athletics. 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  30. ^ Yang, Stephanie (2018-08-09). "Savannah DeMelo hat trick helps buoy USA 6-0 win over Paraguay at U20 Women's World Cup". Stars and Stripes FC. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  31. ^ "U.S. U-23 Women's National Team heads to La Manga Tournament". SoccerWire. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  32. ^ "U.S. U-23 WNT Falls to France 3-1 at La Manga Tournament in Spain". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
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