Who Is Adrianna Franch? New Details On The U.S. Women's Soccer Third Goalkeeper Competing In The World Cup
She hasn't played yet, but she's an essential member of the team.
getty Yesterday, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team played its final game of the first round of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. And, unsurprisingly, they defeated Sweden 2-0. They advance to the next round, after defeating Thailand 13-0 and Chile 3-0. On June 24th, they will face off against Spain, and if they make it to the finals, will play on July 7th.
The U.S. team is the most successful team in international women’s soccer, winning .three Women’s World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. And alleging unequal pay compared to their male counterparts, the entire team filed a recent lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, claiming the Federation is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
But part of being a soccer fan is knowing all about the personal lives of the team. And even though there’s one player who hasn’t yet made her World Cup debut on the field, she’s still an essential part of the team. Who is Adrianna Franch? Here are 8 things to know about the third goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.
1. She was into sports from a young age.
Because she was a foot taller than the rest of her classmates, her mother enrolled her to play sports at the YMCA. She took a liking to soccer and basketball,\ and when someone told her she was good at being a goalkeeper, it inspired her. As a kid, she also idolized Briana Scurry, a goalkeeper for the women’s national team.
2. She played soccer as a teenager.
In high school, she was the starting goalkeeper for the school team but didn’t play during her senior year due to a basketball injury. She also played on the Kansas Olympic Development Program (ODP) team, the Region II ODP team, and the KC Comets Select.
During her high school career, she earned All-State, All-Southwest Region, All-League honors, and was named league MVP. Playing basketball, she earned first-team All-County, All-League honors, and honorable mention as All-State performer.
3. She continued playing in college.
Franch became the starting goalkeeper for Oklahoma State University when she was a freshman, eventually being named First-Team All-Big 12; she’s also a two-time All-American and a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and during all four years in college, was named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
4. And eventually made the move to pro.
In 2010, she began playing for the U.S. national team, the first Oklahoma State soccer player to do so! But after college, she was drafted to Western New York Flash. In 2015, after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, she joined the Norwegian club Avaldsnes IL, and later that year, signed to the Portland Thorns FC.
She became a starter goalkeeper in 2017. She was named 2018 NWSL Best XI and NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, two years in a row.
5. It’s her first World Cup.
But even though she’s on the roster, she hasn’t played a game yet. Why? Because she’s the third goalkeeper, behind Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris. However, she’s still been at every single practice, game, and meeting. How does Franch feel about all this?
“It’s not really something I have control of, so I try not to think on that too much. Though there were times when I did and was frustrated about it and read too much into it, rather than focusing on my career on letting that do the talking. When the team is doing well and the goalkeeper is consistent, the coach isn’t going to make a change and that’s understandable. You only control what you can control, and that’s me and what I do on a daily basis...
In the space that we’re in right now, me, personally, I’m the team. And the goalkeeper unit, we don’t have time for that kind of thinking. We’re here to win the World Cup. And if an individual starts thinking along those lines, they start pulling away from the team. And I think it’s really important not to be thinking about that. If you’re stuck in that mindset, when you are called upon, it’ll be hard to get out of that and make sure you are ready. That’s a distraction from being ready and giving to the team and what they need...
You always have to be ready. You have to train like you’re the number one. You have to always expect that you will play. You have to recover like you’re going to be playing. You have to train like you’re going to be playing. And that’s a hard balance. It takes a mental toughness. I go in with a mindset that there can be any moment I can play.”
6. Her fellow goalkeeper teammates have nothing but good things to say.
Because Franch is dedicated to helping her team, it’s no wonder that Naeher and Harris are extremely supportive. Said Naeher of Franch, “AD brings a lot of experience. She brings a lot of good energy to training. She pushes the rest of us. She’s a great teammate.” Added Harris, “We have a great goalkeeper union. And we have a such a great culture that we’ve created that’s taken a long time. We’re extremely supportive and we push each other.”
Jill Ellis, the USWNT coach, echoed their comments, saying, “It’s the attitude in training. It’s the understanding of the role. It’s the desire to continue to push because you don’t want someone to just come in and be happy to be there. I saw all of that in her. And she’s a good person in the locker room. When you bring a player that has the potential to not play, you want to make sure they’re serving the collective well with a positive attitude. She brings all that.”
7. She thinks it's important for young girls to have a role model.
She idolized Briana Scurry growing up, who is an African-American goalkeeper. Of her role, Franch revealed:
“It’s so important for kids to have role models who look like them, relate to them, speak to them in a certain way. I don’t think I realized as a kid that there’s someone who looks like me in a position I want to be in... It’s definitely a continuous thought how I represent myself now and what and who I represent, who I want and hope to inspire. There’s a little bit of a responsibility there to carry yourself in the way you want to carry yourself. Someone who looks like you might be looking up to you, whether they know it or not.”
8. She’s engaged.
Franch is engaged to Emily Boscacci, whom she plans to wed in December 2019! The two live together in Portland, and Boscacci has been there cheering her fiance on for the World Cup.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.