With two years until the next World Cup and Alyssa Naeher having retired from international soccer, Emma Hayes is running an open competition for the goalkeeping position, with several players competing for the spot. The established veterans are known entities but failed to grab the number-one role from their predecessor, which indicates that the newcomers can seize the opportunity. Claudia Dickey has taken great strides forward at the club level and recently entered the rotation. The 25-year-old
with the Seattle Reign has been invited to several camps and registered shutouts against Ireland and Canada.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dickey competed with the Charlotte Latin School at the high school level, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2017 state championship game and receiving multiple All-State and All-American citations while also being named Greater Charlotte Goalkeeper of the Year three times and North Carolina Soccer Coaches Player of the Year. Her club days were spent with Charlotte Soccer Academy in the Elite Clubs National League. She also played basketball as a guard with “great basketball IQ and court awareness,” was included on the All-State team, and ranked as the 40th overall prospect in her class.
Dickey then matriculated to the powerful University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill program, began picking up minutes as a freshman with 16 appearances, and converted a penalty in the national quarterfinal shootout victory over the University of California, Los Angeles; additionally, the goalkeeper suited up for the basketball team in the winter. She featured 26 times as a sophomore and became the starter, being named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference tournament team and leading her side to a College Cup runners-up finish, earning praise for her “very good vision” in possession and “very good hands.” The ensuing COVID-shortened season saw her play every minute across 20 matches, receiving first-team All-ACC and reaching the semifinal of the NCAA tournament. Her Tar Heel career ended with another 18 fixtures, including seven shutouts and a goal against Clemson.
Quitting basketball after her freshman season was “one of the hardest decisions” of her life but a necessary decision as she progressed. “I was always a multi-sport athlete,” Dickey told Prime Focus Goalkeeping. “I could never only play one sport at a time. I’ve always believed that because my parents allowed me to invest time in multiple sports it helped me excel and contributed to my success in my current sport... I think the thing that helped me the most was the willingness of both my parents to allow me to train and travel whenever I needed. They always gave me access to great resources and people to help me throughout everything.”
Eschewing an additional year of eligibility, Dickey was selected by the then-OL Reign with the 20th pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. The club signed her to a one-year contract with an additional option year. She was on the bench for her entire rookie season behind Phallon Tullis-Joyce during the Shield-winning campaign.
Dickey made her professional debut the following season, starting in a 2-0 victory over Angel City in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and picked up two additional shutouts, eventually earning the top role. With Tullis-Joyce joining Manchester United, she made 12 combined appearances, boasting the league’s lowest goals against average, and led the Reign to the playoff final with shutdown performances in the previous two rounds. The club signed her to a new contract through 2025, citing that her “skillset as a goalkeeper aligned with [the] desired style of play in the attack.”
In 2024, Dickey was considered the starter but injured her knee in an early-season loss to Bay FC, forcing her to miss two months. She made 18 total appearances with three shutouts as the Reign finished in a dismal 13th place. Her composed double save in a 1-1 draw against Utah Royals FC merited the NWSL’s Save of the Week award.
This year, Dickey comfortably regained her standing with 13 appearances, registering astounding “goals prevented” numbers. The club signed her to another extension, this time through 2028, due to “standout” play from the “naturally gifted athlete.” The NWSL named her to the Best XI for May after recording two shutouts.
“I can’t see myself being anywhere else,” Dickey shared with local media. “This is where I want to be because I know the environment, I know what it gets out of me, and I know that I’m pushed every day. Everyone around me here is what makes it so special, and the fans and just the city in general, it’s definitely become a home and I’m excited for the future.”
At the international level, Dickey competed with the United States in the Under-16, Under-18, Under-19, Under-20, and Under-23 age groups and made four appearances as a member of the squad that won the 2020 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, with the ensuing U-20 World Cup canceled due to the pandemic. She received her first senior call-up in January of 2025 and was included on the roster for June’s friendlies against China and Jamaica before making her debut in the first match with Ireland, called into service a single time. Her second cap came in the 3-0 victory over Canada, with her performance featuring three stops, including a “critical save against Jordyn Huitema.”
Standing at five foot eleven, Dickey controls her area with a high rate of collected crosses and is highly involved in the build-up with regular long distribution. “Fearless coming off her line,” she is praised for her “general shot-stopping” and “confidence” when playing out of the back. Her extensions on saves and ability to corral possession are perhaps her best qualities, particularly when rising above the crowd in order to claim the ball without surrendering a costly spill.
Dickey has an intriguing, stable skill set and appears under consideration for the de facto starting goalkeeper position, but there is heavy competition for the role, with Tullis-Joyce said to be in the lead. Provided that injuries are avoided, she should continue to receive regular playing time at the club level and regular call-ups under Hayes. Time will tell whether the stars align with her name being on the roster and in the lineup at the 2027 World Cup.
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