The United States Women’s National Team continues to look for the next number-one goalkeeper, with several players competing for the role. With 2026 holding the all-important CONCACAF W Championship that awards World Cup qualification, identifying the best fit for the position should be at the top of Emma Hayes’ docket. Angelina Anderson is in her first season as a starter at the professional level and could have an exponential rise in the near future, with the 24-year-old Angel City FC goalkeeper beginning
to deliver on her early potential.
Born in San Ramon, California, Anderson played at Carondelet High School and won two East Bay Athletic League titles while also being named an All-American by the United Soccer Coaches, TopDrawerSoccer, and USA Today. Her club days were spent with Mustang SC in the Elite Clubs National League, twice reaching the final four of the national playoffs and meriting selection to the Top XI three times. TopDrawerSoccer listed her as the top goalkeeper in the 2019 recruiting class, earning praise for her poise, athleticism, intelligence, and “command of the penalty area.”
“I think I’m a natural leader,” Anderson told Patch in 2019. “I think that’s probably helped take me to the next level. I’d say I’m really composed on the ball, playing with my feet especially. I think distribution out of the back is one of my strengths, which I think kind of sets me apart from other goalkeepers.”
Anderson then matriculated to the University of California, Berkeley, immediately becoming a starter for all 21 matches, picking up nine shutouts, and racking up a host of honors, including First Team All-Pac-12, Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and Second Team All-American. The ensuing COVID-shortened season had 13 appearances and four shutouts, meriting Second Team All-Pac-12. As a junior, she featured 17 times and was selected Third Team All-Pac-12. Her Golden Bears career ended with 21 appearances and a 1-0 loss to Santa Clara in the opening round of the NCAA tournament after her collision with a defender enabled an opponent to “tap in a header with 26 seconds remaining in the second overtime.”
Eschewing a potential fifth season of eligibility, Anderson was selected by Angel City FC with the 27th overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NWSL Draft. Overcoming an early hamstring injury, her professional debut came in the Challenge Cup against the Portland Thorns, stopping a penalty in the 2-1 victory. She made six total appearances, including starting in the first round of the playoffs, a 1-0 defeat to runners-up OL Reign. The club signed her to a two-year extension, describing her as “nothing short of exceptional,” with “poise and maturity” helping her to be a “hardworking, focused team player.”
In 2024, Anderson started in the opener but was relegated to back up after three matches, ceding her spot to DiDi Haračić. However, she also featured twice during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, displaying the “ability to make several massive saves to keep [her side] in [the game].” Her performances, including a crucial shutout with several stops against Bay FC, helped lead Angel City to a first-place finish in Group B.
In February, Angel City signed her to another contract extension, this time through 2028, believing her to be “one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the league.” Playing under her “third coach in two years,” Anderson entered this season as the definitive number one and has been firmly in the driver’s seat with 20 appearances. Everybody Soccer noted that her “commanding presence and sharp reflexes” are turning heads in the domestic competition, which could portend a rosy international future.
“Short-term goals, I definitely want to earn the number-one spot this year at Angel City and play a whole season in the NWSL as the number one,” Anderson shared in May with The American Athlete. “Haven’t done that yet. It’s my third year. I’m really excited and confident to hopefully step into that role. And, yeah, I want to play through the whole season healthy and get a lot of game experience under my belt… I think, longer term, recently having a taste of going into the U.S. Women’s National Team senior camp, that’s something that I really want for myself and something that I’m striving for. I know that there will be a process and a journey, and I feel like I took one small step of that process. I think that one of my North Stars that kind of guides even my day-to-day actions is that longer-term big goal.”
At the international level, Anderson was named the Golden Glove as the United States won the 2018 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and continued as the starter at the ensuing U-17 World Cup when the team finished with a 1-2-0 record at the bottom of Group C. She was also on the roster for the 2018 U-20 World Cup. Her “surprising” first senior call-up was in January, followed by serving as a “training player” in April and being added as an over-age player to the Under-23 roster for the June training camp that had two friendlies against Germany. Hayes subsequently included her in the squad for the matches against Ireland and Canada.
Standing at six feet tall, Anderson is quick to come off of her line and act as a sweeper keeper, with “everything to be a world-class” player. She maintains excellent control of her box and is constantly readjusting her positioning and communicating with teammates, rarely being forced to make wild saves. Her work on short- and long-range opportunities is more than adequate, with quick reactions and steady hands.
“I would say positioning is a huge part of your success before you can even start to move to make a save: your positioning vertically on the field depending on where the ball is, and also side-to-side in the goal,” Anderson said to her club’s official website. “The angle you take for the shot is really important, and then you have to think about which direction you’re going to dive… I also think a big part of being a goalkeeper that goes unrecognized is problem solving before anything even happens. My college coach used to tell me that all the time—you can make a save before the ball’s even near you by coaching and moving people around and letting people know where players are and things like that. You’re just being really alert to danger and calling it out.”
Anderson ascended to the starting role at Angel City at a very curious and opportune time. The USWNT is looking for a new number one and also to potentially fill out the rest of the goalkeeping depth chart. Despite being left off the current camp roster, she has the natural talent to challenge for the starting role, and time will tell if her performances lead to a spot on the 2027 World Cup roster.
