NC Courage keeper keeps soccer tradition alive, makes first Women’s World Cup roster

On Christmas Eve at Rutgers University, women’s soccer head coach Mike O’Neill was having a conversation with Athletic Director Pat Hobbs, and they could hear light pounding from the outside.

“That’s going to be Casey Murphy out there working on her game,” O’Neill recalled telling Hobbs.

Sure enough, the former Scarlet Knights goalkeeper was outside, kicking a ball against a wall.

“It just goes to show a lot about the type of person she is,” O’Neill said. “The type of player that she is, she understands how to be successful.”

So it was no surprise to many when, on Wednesday afternoon, former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard revealed the NC Courage’s starting goalkeeper made her first World Cup roster.

“I am happy to reassure everyone that the New Jersey goalkeepers union is still alive and still well,” Howard said in a video announcement Team USA posted. “Casey Murphy, congratulations on being named to your first Wold Cup roster. Yes! I’m so proud of you, it’s been amazing, amazing to see you grow. Good luck down under, rep that crest with pride, own the moment and by all means, be great.”

‘She worked her tail off’

Murphy’s journey from a 5-year-old field player to Team USA goalkeeper included two coaches who’ve worked with her throughout her youth and collegiate career — O’Neill and NC Courage head coach Sean Nahas.

“I remember having a conversation with her in the hotel lobby just about goals and future,” Nahas said. “She’s always been driven, and she’s said this is this is one of her goals, and she worked her tail off.”

Anyone who spoke of Murphy all agreed on one constant: Her consistency in games is fueled by her work ethic. O’Neill wasn’t afraid to share how Murphy was working on Christmas Eve, or how she was always early to practice and one of the last to leave.

But before then, Murphy worked closely with O’Neill at Player’s Development Academy (PDA). She joined the club at 12 years old, just as she began transitioning from a field player to a goalkeeper.

Murphy said there wasn’t a magical event that made her choose goalkeeping, but it just made sense to stick with it.

“And that’s when I started to get the extra training in and, you know, go to goalkeeper training more often and really, like commit to being a goalkeeper,” Murphy said. “And for me when I like put my mind to something I want to be the best at it.”

That extra goalkeeper training ranged from footwork and agility training to strength and conditioning. Murphy said she also participated in other sports growing up, but soccer was her top choice.

She went on to win the 2013 ECNL U17 National Championship with PDA, giving her the opportunity to join her youth coach at Rutgers — a choice Murphy accepted. She then worked with O’Neill and assistant coach Lubos Ancin, with whom Murphy still trains when she’s in her hometown.

‘She was ready’

Originally from Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, Murphy said it was a near-perfect setup to play collegiate soccer in her home state. She and O’Neill made a College Cup appearance in 2015 and Murphy was named a Second Team All-American that season, playing every minute of the 26 games played that season.

But heading into her junior year, Murphy was offered another opportunity of a lifetime — travel to Papua New Guinea and compete for Team USA in the U20 World Cup with Nahas, who at the time was an assistant coach. After a long conversation with O’Neill, she redshirted at Rutgers to go play for Team USA.

“We’ve been fortunate at Rutgers to have players play for our country at the highest level,” O’Neill said. “And we’ve been very fortunate in New Jersey to have the same thing. For somebody in New Jersey, representing our country at the highest level is an honor.”

That experience ended with a fourth-place finish, where Murphy started all six matches played and held the highest save ratio of all keepers in the Cup (77.8). Murphy went back for one last season with the Scarlet Knights and made the jump to professional soccer despite having one more year of eligibility remaining. Murphy received the 2017 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award during that redshirt junior season.

“I remember her coming back and asking me, ‘How come I never asked her to stay for her fourth year?’” O’Neill said. “And my response to her was like, you know, she was ready to be a pro.”

Gaining experience

Murphy made a few other high-profile national teams since her collegiate days, including three consecutive appearances in the SheBelievesCup from 2021-23, going unbeaten in her first nine starts played (seven wins, two draws) and earning 10 clean sheets. She helped clinch Team USA’s bid to the World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, picking up three shutout wins in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship.

She made her professional debut with Montpellier HSC in France, earning the Division 1 Féminine keeper for the Best XI in 2018. Then, the OL Reign was Murphy’s home for the first few years in the NWSL, where she played in nearly 30 matches.

Murphy arrived in North Carolina in a trade that sent Crystal Dunn to the OL Reign.

“She’s come in, and we’ve asked her to play a different style of football,” Courage Goalkeeper Coach Nathan Thackeray said. “She’s a goalkeeper, that is an integral part of it. And she’s adapted to that and applied the new skill set.”

Thackeray was worked with Murphy since she joined the Courage, where she’s slowly adjusted to a new playing style. Thackeray called it a more ”modern” version of goalkeeping, where it’s more physically demanding. Essentially, she acts as another outfield player, so she’s using her feet and hands more than she had before in college and with other NWSL teams.

Murphy said part of the reason she feels so prepared for the World Cup this summer is because of the training regimen the Courage has. She doesn’t slouch in practice, she said, and she’s working with other keepers who push her constantly.

“Each training is difficult, each training is hard,” Murphy said. “There’s different challenges that the coaches present us, and it gets you thinking it’s game-like, you know, very competitive, and so I feel like the transition from club to country has been a smoother, easier one because of how hard we train here in our in our club environment.”

Murphy has earned 29 career clean sheets, one shy from becoming the fourth NWSL goalkeeper to reach 30. She’s only 27 years old.

Back to work

The Courage’s go-to keeper is one of three selected by Team USA, so she’ll be competing with fellow first-timer Aubrey Kingsbury and two-time World Cup participant Alyssa Naeher for the starting keeper position. Plus, she’ll have a built-in travel buddy with NC Courage defender Emily Fox.

In order for Murphy to earn the starting job, she’ll have to outperform Naeher and Kingsbury, a task Murphy said she’s willing to take on. However, with it being her first World Cup appearance, she understands there’s an extra level of pressure and excitement with it being so new.

“It would be a dream, right, to be a starter,” Murphy said. “You want to go in and you want to help your team win and be successful and to be on the field on the biggest stage this summer would be an absolute amazing opportunity. I’d be 100% ready to rise to the occasion.”

But, when Murphy did get the call from National Team head coach Vlatko Andonovski, no one was surprised. In fact, a few text messages and a quick phone call were sufficient for Murphy and her coaches, because they knew what was next — for her to get back to work.

“I’m so excited for her because she’s worked so hard to get to this stage,” Thackeray said. “And my hope is that she goes there and gets an opportunity to play and prove that she is one of the elite goalkeepers in world of football.”