Sarah L. Gorden (born September 13, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for

Angel City FC Angel City Football Club is a National Women's Soccer League expansion team that began play in 2022. The team is based in Los Angeles, California, and was announced on July 21, 2020. The team has many high-profile owners, including Becky G, Natal ...

in the NWSL.

Early life

The daughter of Jeff and Sue Gorden, Sarah Gorden began playing soccer at age four. When she began playing competitively, her speed on the pitch inspired her to join her high school track team. While attending

James B. Conant High School James B. Conant High School is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes William Fremd ...

she played as a defender for the Eclipse Select Soccer Club.

DePaul Blue Demons

Gorden attended DePaul university from 2011 to 2015, following in the footsteps of her parents who were both student athletes at DePaul. Gorden majored in journalism and competed as a hurdler on the track team for her first two years of university in addition to playing soccer. She scored her first collegiate goal on September 11, 2011, against

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Gorden did not compete in the 2013 season due to pregnancy. She returned to the Blue Demons in 2014 to lead the team's defense to a conference title and an NCAA tournament appearance while allowing the fewest goals in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

. In 2014, Gorden was named to the All-Big East second team. In 2015, Gorden was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week four times, and was named to the All-Big East first team.

Club career

Chicago Red Stars, 2016–2021

Gorden was drafted by

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 ...

in the 3rd round of the

2016 NWSL College Draft Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film d ...

. She made her professional debut in the season opener against 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 ...

, subbing in for Alyssa Mautz in the 83rd minute of play. In January 2021, Gorden was signed to a two-year contract renewal with Chicago Red Stars. On October 29, 2021, Gorden became Chicago's first Iron Woman by playing every minute of the 2021 NWSL season.

Angel City FC, 2022–

On December 3, 2021, Gorden's rights were traded to

ahead of the upcoming expansion draft.

International career

Gorden received her first call-up to the

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning four Women's World Cup titles ( 1991, 1999, 2015, an ...

in December 2019. In October 2020, Gorden was again called up to the United States national team.

Personal life

She gave birth to a son, Caiden, in 2014. In September 2020, Gorden launched a nonprofit organization, HoodSpace. In April 2021, Gorden and her boyfriend alleged that they were racially profiled by a security guard at

BBVA Stadium Shell Energy Stadium (formerly BBVA Compass Stadium, BBVA Stadium, then PNC Stadium) is an American multi-purpose stadium located in Houston, Texas that is home to Houston Dynamo FC, a Major League Soccer club, the Houston Dash of the National ...

Honors

Individual * NWSL Best XI:

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 ...

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

References

External links

Red Stars BioDePaul Bio
* 1992 births Living people American women's soccer players DePaul Blue Demons women's soccer players National Women's Soccer League players Chicago Red Stars draft picks Chicago Red Stars players Angel City FC players People from Elk Grove Village, Illinois Soccer players from Cook County, Illinois Soccer players from DuPage County, Illinois Women's association football defenders James B. Conant High School alumni African-American women's soccer players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women {{US-women-footy-bio-stub