Kealia Ohai Watt ( ; born Kealia Mae Ohai; January 31, 1992) is an American soccer player who is currently a free agent, who most recently played for the

Chicago Red Stars The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...

of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) from 2020-2021. She previously played for the

Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC. History Establishment On November ...

from 2014 to 2019. Watt has represented the United States on the under-17, under-20, under-23 and senior national teams. She scored the winning goal in the final match of the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Early life

Watt was born to Ben and Cindy Ohai and raised in

Draper, Utah Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah counties in the U.S. state of Utah, about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. As of the 2020 census, the population is 51,017, up from 7,143 in 1990. Draper is part of two metropolitan areas; ...

. Her sister, Megan, is a former youth national team member who played soccer at USC where she won the 2007 NCAA championship. She is part Hawaiian on her father's side. Her parents named her after Kealia Beach on the island of Kauai. Watt, who graduated from Alta High School in June 2010, was a four-year varsity soccer player at the school. She led the team to four straight state soccer championships from 2006 to 2009. She was a two-time Gatorade state player of the year, three-time first-team high school All-America, three-time All-State selection, three-time 5A soccer MVP, and the 2010 NSCAA National High School Player of the year. In June 2010, she earned Parade All-American honors. As a youth, Watt also played club soccer for the Utah Avalanche. With the team, she won four state titles.

Career

College

North Carolina Tar Heels, 2010–2013

A four-year starter with the Tar Heels from 2010 to 2013, Watt was a member of the 2012 championship-winning team. She was named the tournament's most outstanding offensive player after scoring the game-winning goal during overtime in the semi-final and the first goal of the final in the second minute of the match. Following her freshman year playing for the Tar Heels, Watt was named to the First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and ACC All-Freshman Team. She led the team in scoring with 14 goals and started 22 of the team's 24 games. During her sophomore year, she started in all 20 games in which she played. She scored six goals, including a team high of 3 game-winning goals and served six assists. In her third year with the Tar Heels, Ohai led the team in points (23) and goals (9).

Club

Houston Dash, 2014–2019

Kealia Ohai - Forward, Houston Dash (21055006935)

Watt was selected as the second overall pick in the

2014 NWSL College Draft The 2014 NWSL College Draft was the second annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 17, 2014, at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was open ...

by the

as the expansion team's very first college draft pick. Of her draft selection, Dash head coach

Randy Waldrum Randy Marlon Waldrum (born September 25, 1956) is an American former professional soccer player, the current head coach of University of Pittsburgh Panthers women's soccer team and is the current head coach of the Nigeria women's national team ...

said, "I couldn't have asked for things to fall into place so well. It was an amazing day for the Dash. Starting with the selection of Kealia Ohai, we got one of the nation's best forwards. She has great pace, is extremely athletic, and can really stretch defenses with her speed." She became the club's captain midway through the 2016 season, which coincided with a scoring streak which saw her net 11 goals in 10 games. Watt was named NWSL Player of the Week for weeks 15 and 17. She finished the season tied with Lynn Williams for the golden boot, Williams was given the award as she had more assists. Watt was named to the 2016 NWSL Best XI. In 2017, Watt scored two goals in 10 games before tearing her ACL on June 24 in a game against the

Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to th ...

. This injury would force her to miss the remainder of the 2017 season. Watt returned to the field on April 22, 2018, against the

. In 2018 she appeared in 19 games and scored 5 goals.

Chicago Red Stars, 2020–2021

On January 6, 2020, Watt was traded to the

in exchange for defender

Katie Naughton Kathleen Camille Lind (; born February 15, 1994) is an American professional soccer defender who plays for Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played collegiate soccer for the University of Notre Dame. Club career Yo ...

and the 18th overall selection in the

2020 NWSL College Draft The 2020 NWSL College Draft was the eighth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select newly eligible college players for the 2020 NWSL season. It was held on January 16, 2020 in conjunction with the United Socce ...

International

A member of the U.S. youth national programs from the age of 13, Watt has played with the under-15, under-17, under-18, under-20, and the under-23 teams. As a member of the 2012 US U-20 Women's National Team, she won the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and scored the game-winning goal in the 44th minute of the final to lead the U.S. to victory over Germany. Watt made her international debut for the senior team on October 23, 2016, against Switzerland in a friendly match in Minneapolis. She scored 48 seconds after entering the match as a substitute in the 81st minute, setting a record for the fastest goal in a US women's national team debut. She received a call-up in July 2018 to the team's training camp for the

2018 Tournament of Nations The 2018 Tournament of Nations was the second Tournament of Nations, an international women's football tournament, consisting of a series of friendly games. It was held in the United States, from July 26 to August 2, 2018, and featured the same ...

, her first call-up since injuring her knee in 2017, but did not make the final roster for the tournament.

Personal life

Watt is legally blind in her right eye. Her brother-in-law is former NFL Houston Texans player

Brian Cushing Brian Patrick Cushing (born January 24, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played his entire 9-year career for the ...

. In October 2016, Watt confirmed that she was in a relationship with NFL player J. J. Watt, retired

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the Arizona Cardinals and previously the Houston Texans. They became engaged in May 2019. They were married on February 15, 2020, in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

, and Watt subsequently began using her married name. On October 23, 2022, Watt gave birth to her and J. J.’s first child, Koa James Watt.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team *

NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, sometimes known as the Women's College Cup, is an American college soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I women's national ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

Chicago Red Stars *

NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup, currently known as the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tournament organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-tier women's league in the United States soccer league system. T ...

runner-up:

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

NWSL Championship The National Women's Soccer League Playoffs (or NWSL Playoffs) are a single elimination tournament among six teams in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States, deciding the winner of the NWSL Championship. Since playoff games can ...

runner-up:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

United States U20 *

CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship The CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship is an association football competition for women's national under-20 teams in the North America, Central America and Caribbean region. It serves as the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 Women's ...

* FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: