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Carson Pickett created history as she became the first player with a limb difference to play international football. She started for the United States women’s national team against Colombia, where the USWNT registered a 2-0 win. The defender plays for the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL.
Carson Pickett is a 28-year-old defender who was born without a left hand and forearm. She became the fifth player to make her debut for USWNT in 2022. But she is also the oldest USWNT player to make a national team debut since McCall Zerboni did at 30 in 2017. Pickett has made 100 NWSL appearances for the Courage and was part of the division’s Best XI for June.
Reacting to her performance, US coach Vlatko Andonovski said, “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.”
In April, Carson Pickett posted on her Instagram for Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month. She said, "While I know that I am confident and comfortable with showing my arm, I know there are so many people in the world who aren't. The feeling of being different and the anxiety of not fitting in is something that I have been through."
"Let's all try to love ourselves no matter what we look like and let's all be kind to each other above all else," Pickett continued. "Different people are my kind of people. The world needs more of that."