A first cap paired with a start for the U.S. Women’s National Team comes with quite a few challenges. For goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the toughest one was the first whistle.
It took a minute for Tullis-Joyce to get settled, but after that, she was locked in. The 28-year-old keeper finished with six saves and a clean sheet in the 2-0 victory over Brazil at SoFi Stadium. Only nine other goalkeepers in USWNT history shut out their first opponent.
“We have some amazing goalkeepers right now for the U.S. Women’s National Team,” Tullis-Joyce told USSoccer.com. “I'd be more than grateful to be given another opportunity, and I'm really grateful for the one that I was just given.”
Head coach Emma Hayes told Tullis-Joyce she’d make her first international start a few days before the match. While she prepared for the match, a career milestone for any women’s soccer player, she kept the news quiet from friends and family.
“I didn’t tell them,” Tullis-Joyce said. “I couldn’t verbally, there was a frog in my throat. They only knew when the roster was announced on social media.”
Tullis-Joyce is quieter in nature, but that doesn’t mean she can’t command the box. Before the Los Angeles camp, Hayes challenged the keeper to take a step outside her typically introverted personality to build deeper relationships and trust with teammates.
She did just that.
“I think slowly but surely, I was just trying to have conversations at breakfast [and] lunch, letting my teammates know that while I may be a little bit reserved, I'm still right there for them,” Tullis-Joyce said. “I want to be that foundation for them, and I hope that showed in today's game.”
Captain Lindsey Heaps underscored that the keeper should simply be herself.
“I told her before the game, ‘Just be you. You play in big games like this all the time at [Manchester] United,’” Heaps said. “So really, really happy for her. She was loud, she was vocal, she came out. She did her thing. It’s not easy to play a game like this, and she had some big-time saves as well.”
Hayes said Tullis-Joyce did a tremendous job in the game, in a high-intensity rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match. However, the U.S. coach said the next step for her is making the short passes under pressure as opposed to kicking the long ball which she’s used to with Manchester United’s playstyle.
Hayes is looking for the next stalwart between the pipes after long-time starting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher retired from international competition at the end of 2024. Naeher ended a legendary international career with two FIFA Women’s World Cups (2015, 2019) and an Olympic gold medal (2024).
Hayes said she feels they have quality keepers, including Jane Campbell and Mandy McGlynn alongside Tullis-Joyce, but it will take time to see who will emerge as the consistent starter. Until then, Tullis-Joyce will take advantage of every opportunity she gets.
“It’s an incredible legacy to follow up on,” Tullis-Joyce said, “but I’m just super grateful to be a part of this team right now and have this win with them.”
