Latter-day Saint teenager and professional soccer player Olivia Moultrie could make her debut for the U.S. Women’s National Team in Utah on Thursday.
Moultrie is one of 27 players on the roster for the team’s October friendlies against Colombia. But there is no guarantee she will take the field Thursday in Sandy, Utah, or Sunday in San Diego, interim head coach Twila Kilgore told reporters during a Wednesday press conference.
“It’s fair to think anytime you’re invited into camp that you should be ready to be called upon at any moment,” she said. “I think the best thing about this team is that whether you’re a long-term veteran or a new-time player, that you know that you have to be ready and that there’s nothing guaranteed, but it’s about staying ready and being ready to do whatever it takes to help this team win and move forward.”
If Moultrie takes the field Thursday, she will join Alex Morgan, former BYU star Ashley Hatch, Casey Krueger, Andi Sullivan and Lynn Williams on the list of players who made their national team debuts in Sandy, according to U.S. Soccer.
Who is Olivia Moultrie?
Moultrie is a midfielder for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns. In 2021, she made history when she became the youngest player (at that point) to sign an NWSL contract. She signed with the Thorns at age 15 years and 286 days old, as the Deseret News previously reported.
She had been practicing with the team since she was 13 but was unable to sign a professional contract with the team due to NWSL rules at the time. She filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league in May 2021 and won and then signed with the Thorns two weeks later.
The 18-year-old scored two of the 13 goals scored by teenagers in the NWSL this season, according to Just Women’s Sports.
In 2022, she was interviewed by President Bonnie Cordon, who was at the time the Young Women’s general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a video released by the church.
What did USWNT and Thorns players say about Olivia Moultrie?
On Monday, team captain and former Utah Royals defender Becky Sauerbrunn said she’s excited about Moultrie, her Thorns teammate of three years, earning her first call up.
“She’s always been very clear that her aspiration is to be on the women’s national team, and so it’s really great to see that her run of play in Portland has allowed her this call up, well earned in my opinion, and so I’m just really excited for her because it’s great to see someone get to realize their dream and get to touch it,” she said.
Sophia Smith, another one of Moultrie’s Thorns and now national team teammates, expressed the same excitement when talking to reporters before practice Tuesday.
“I will be so happy and proud of her. I’ve watched Liv grow for a few years now as a player and a person and it’s been really fun to just see how she’s developed, you know, just as a person like how she’s interacting with people. It’s just been a really fun thing to see. And I love Liv. She’s like a little sister to me, so I’ll be so excited if she gets her first cap,” she said.
What did Ashley Hatch say about Olivia Moultrie?
Hatch told the Deseret News before practice Tuesday that it’s fun to have another Latter-day Saint on the national team.
“It’s really cool to see someone else of our faith that’s made it to this level and to play soccer at this level,” she said. “So it’s really cool and I’m excited for her to be in your first camp.”
Hatch doesn’t think Moultrie needs to be taken under her wing since she’s been a professional for two years now, but she’s willing to do so if that’s what the young midfielder needs.
“She’s been a pro for a couple years now, so if she needs that, I’ll do it. But I don’t know if she needs it. She seems to be pretty comfortable already. We’ve had a few conversations about like having similar family in the area, which is kind of fun,” she said.
What did USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore say about Olivia Moultrie?
During Wednesday’s press conference, the Deseret News asked Kilgore what led to Moultrie’s call up. She pointed to Moultrie’s success with the Thorns, the 2022 NWSL champions.
“Olivia has been doing a really good job with her club. She does a great job between the lines. She has good patience between the lines, and when she gets the ball, she’s able to accelerate the attack, bring other people into the play. She’s starting to create opportunities for herself in the league,” Kilgore said.
The training camp this week ahead of the U.S.-Colombia matches is not Moultrie’s first national team experience. She played for the U.S. in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and in the 2022 CONCACAF Girls U-20 Championship. In 2022, she earned a nomination for the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
“We know that she has a history with international game just with the youth teams and things like that, and it just seemed like the most appropriate time to bring her into the fold, get her some exposure to the full team and see how she adjust here. Give her something that she can take back into her environment and continue to grow,” Kilgore said.