Carson Pickett


Carson Pickett is an American soccer defender who currently plays for NWSL team Orlando Pride.

Early life

Raised in Fleming Island on the northeastern coast of Florida near Jacksonville, Pickett attended St. Johns Country Day School and won 3 state championships with the soccer team. In 2012, she was named Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the state of Florida and 2012 Florida Times-Union First Coast Player of the Year. Pickett was born without a left forearm and hand, a fact many reporters have highlighted throughout her career. Her condition was the subject of a viral Instagram photo during the 2019 season. The photo showed her "fist-bumping" a 2-year-old boy who was also born without a left forearm and hand.

Florida State Seminoles, 2012–2015

Pickett attended Florida State University from 2012 to 2015, where she played soccer for the Florida State Seminoles and was a four-year starting defender. In 2014, she led the Seminoles to their first NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship anchoring a defense that allowed no goals throughout the tournament.

Professional career

Seattle Reign FC, 2016–2017

Pickett was selected by Seattle Reign FC as the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Of the selection, Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey said, "Pickett is a player that we have been tracking closely for a long time. We were hoping she would still be available with our pick in the first round, so the choice to select her was an easy one. We think she will be a valuable addition to our squad during the upcoming season." She made her debut for the club during its season opener against Sky Blue FC on April 17.

Loans to Brisbane Roar

In October 2017, Pickett was loaned to Brisbane Roar for the 2017–18 W-League. She scored her first professional goal on November 10, 2017, in the Roar's 1–0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
She returned for second and third loan spells during the 2018–19 W-League and 2019–20 W-League seasons. On February 23, 2020, Pickett had her first career multi-goal game when she scored twice in a 5–0 win over Canberra United.

Orlando Pride, 2018–present

In January 2018, Pickett and Christine Nairn were acquired by the Orlando Pride in a trade that sent Steph Catley to Seattle. Pickett played in nineteen of twenty-four matches for an Orlando side that finished seventh in the league.

International

Pickett has represented the United States on the under-17 and under-23 national teams.

Career statistics