Croix Bethune
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Croix Collette Bethune[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (2001-03-14) March 14, 2001 (age 23)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder[3] | ||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Washington Spirit | ||||||||||||||||
Number | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
Concorde Fire | |||||||||||||||||
College career | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
2021–2022 | USC Trojans | 48 | (26) | ||||||||||||||
2023 | Georgia Bulldogs | 15 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
2024– | Washington Spirit | 11 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
United States U-15 | |||||||||||||||||
2017–2018 | United States U-17 | 15 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
2024– | United States | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 24, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 31, 2024 |
Croix Collette Bethune (/ˈkrɔɪ bəˈθuːn/ CROY bə-THOON;[4] born March 14, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
Bethune played college soccer for the USC Trojans and the Georgia Bulldogs, twice being named first-team All-American. She was selected by the Spirit third overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
After representing her country at the under-15 and under-17 level, Bethune made her senior international debut in 2024. She won the gold medal with the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Early life
Bethune was born to Richard and Jean Bethune, both members of the United States Air Force, and has a brother.[5][6] She started playing soccer at age three or four.[7] At age four, her family moved to England for three and a half years, where she originally played with boys because there was no girls' team.[6][8] She played club soccer for the ECNL's Concorde Fire Soccer Club in Atlanta and was named to the national Best XI in 2017 and 2018.[2] She played one season of high school soccer at Alpharetta High School.[5] She also played basketball into high school but focused on soccer after tearing her ACL while training with the national under-17 team.[6][9]
College career
USC Trojans, 2021–2022
Bethune played three seasons at the University of Southern California. She missed her freshman season due to a second ACL tear.[6] On her debut for the Trojans, she recorded two assists in a 4–3 overtime win against BYU in February 2021.[6][10] She scored 16 goals in the 2021 season, the third most in a season in program history, including a nine-minute hat trick in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament.[5][11] In both 2021 and 2022, as captain of the Trojans, she was named first-team All-Pac-12, first-team All-American, and the Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year.[2][6] The Los Angeles Times described her playing style as "flashy", with her game including backheel passes, chip shots, and once balancing the ball on her head to keep possession.[6]
Georgia Bulldogs, 2023
Bethune transferred to the University of Georgia for the 2023 season, reuniting with former USC coach Keidane McAlpine, though she tore her ACL for a third time while still at USC finishing her undergraduate degree.[8][12] She led Georgia to its first postseason title in program history at the 2023 SEC tournament, where she scored an equalizer against Kentucky in the quarterfinals and the last-minute game winner against Texas A&M in the semi-finals, and was named the tournament's most valuable player.[8] She was named second-team All-SEC and second-team All-American.[2]
Club career
Washington Spirit, 2024–
The Washington Spirit selected Bethune third overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft; the Spirit acquired the pick by trading Sam Staab to the Chicago Red Stars.[13] She signed a three-year contract with a one-year option.[14] She scored her first professional goal late in stoppage time to beat Bay FC 2–1 on March 23.[15][16] The following month, she scored in consecutive wins against the Houston Dash on April 12 and NJ/NY Gotham FC on April 20.[15] For her performance, she was named the NWSL Rookie of the Month for March/April 2024.[17] On May 2, she assisted three times in a 4–2 win over the Chicago Red Stars, becoming the youngest NWSL player to record that many assists in one match.[18] She broke the rookie assist record with her seventh assist on the season on May 10.[19] She became the first player to be named back-to-back Rookie of the Month after winning again for May.[20] On June 15, Bethune scored in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time to salvage a 1–1 draw with the San Diego Wave, winning NWSL Goal of the Week.[21][22] She was named Rookie of the Month for a third time in a row in June. At the international break in July, she led the NWSL with nine assists, one assist behind Tobin Heath's single-season record.[23]
International career
Bethune was first called up to a youth national team training camp with the United States national under-15 team at age 13 in March 2015.[5][24] She helped win the 2016 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship, where she was named to the tournament's Best XI team.[25] She was the youngest player on the under-17 team in November 2016.[26] She played for the winning team at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship and competed at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[27][28] She played friendlies for the under-23 team in 2022.[29]
Bethune was called into her first senior national team camp as a training player in June 2024.[30] Later that month she was named as an alternate to the national team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.[31] Bethune made her first USWNT appearance on July 13, 2024, in the 81st minute of a friendly Olympic sendoff against Mexico.[32] She was elevated to the main roster at the Olympics because of an injury to Jaedyn Shaw and made her Olympic debut in the 79th minute of the third group stage game against Australia on July 31.[33][34] The United States defeated Brazil 1–0 in the final on a goal from Mallory Swanson.[35]
Career statistics
International statistics
- As of match played July 31, 2024
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
United States | |||
2024 | 3 | 0 | |
Total | 3 | 0 |
Honours
United States
- Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2024[36]
References
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024" (PDF). p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Croix Bethune – 2023 – Soccer". University of Georgia Athletics. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Kassouf, Jeff (April 25, 2024). "NWSL 2024 MVP Tracker: Who are the best players this season?". ESPN. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "BETHUNE Croix". Olympics.com. 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Croix Bethune – Women's Soccer". University of Southern California Athletics. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (October 26, 2022). "How USC soccer's Croix Bethune became one of the best players in the country". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Sylvs, Southern (February 9, 2024). "Croix Bethune: Ready for the World". All for XI. SB Nation. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Tidwell, Sara (January 18, 2024). "'Dreams do come true': How this UGA star worked to become a first-round draft pick". Athens Banner-Herald. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024.
- ^ Dubey, Aaddya (August 24, 2021). "Bethune thrives in return to play". Daily Trojan. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Maria, Alixandria (February 15, 2021). "Trojans open their season with overtime win over BYU". USC Annenberg Media. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Almendarez, Hector (November 13, 2021). "USC thrashes Grand Canyon in first round of NCAA Tournament". Daily Trojan. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Warden, Owen (June 22, 2023). "Georgia soccer adds 5 transfers to 2023 recruiting class". The Red & Black. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Brockway, Ella (January 13, 2024). "Spirit gets busy, deals Ashley Sanchez, Sam Staab and loads up in draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Washington Spirit Officially Signs 2024 Rookie Class to Professional Contracts". Washington Spirit. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Floyd, Thomas (April 20, 2024). "The Spirit bet big on Croix Bethune. The rookie has made that look wise". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Floyd, Thomas (March 23, 2024). "The Spirit's rookies deliver for a last-gasp 2–1 win over Bay FC". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Washington Spirit Midfielder Croix Bethune Named NWSL Rookie of the Month, Presented by Ally". Washington Spirit. March 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Rantz, Susie (May 2, 2024). "Barbra Banda's 2 goals keep Orlando Pride undefeated in NWSL". Associated Press. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Brockway, Ella (May 24, 2024). "Croix Bethune strikes again, lifting Spirit to 3–2 win over Reign". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024.
- ^ Schreiber, Julie (June 18, 2024). "Is there a space for Croix Bethune on the Olympic roster?". The Equalizer. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Shankar, Varun (June 15, 2024). "Croix Bethune nets late equalizer for Spirit before record crowd". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (June 18, 2024). "What can't she do, she's Croix Bethune!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Washington Spirit Midfielder Croix Bethune Named June Rookie Of The Month, Presented By Ally". National Women's Soccer League. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. U15 GNT camp roster revealed". United States Soccer Federation. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.com.
- ^ "TSG reveals CU15G Best XI, Awards". CONCACAF. August 22, 2016. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016.
- ^ Yort, Caroline (November 16, 2015). "2019 Girls IMG Academy 150 rankings update". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. U17 WNT cruises past Bermuda". United States Soccer Federation. June 7, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.com.
- ^ "U17 WNT fall in second World Cup match". United States Soccer Federation. November 17, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.com.
- ^ "Under-23 WNT heads to Europe in June". United States Soccer Federation. June 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.com.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (May 22, 2024). "Bethune, Hershfelt talk USWNT call-ups amid standout NWSL rookie seasons". Pro Soccer Wire. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Linehan, Meg (June 26, 2024). "Alex Morgan not selected to USWNT for Paris Olympics: Full roster for 2024 Games". The Athletic. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Brockway, Ella (July 13, 2024). "USWNT moves past Mexico and takes another step toward the Olympics". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
- ^ Swanick, Megan (July 28, 2024). "Croix Bethune created NWSL history. Now she is ready for the Olympics". The Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Australia 2–1 to Claim Top Spot in Group B at 2024 Summer Olympics". United States Soccer Federation. July 31, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Mathews, Max (August 10, 2024). "USWNT vs Brazil live updates: Mallory Swanson breaks deadlock in Paris Olympics 2024 women's soccer final". The Athletic. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (August 10, 2024). "Brazil 0-1 United States: Emma Hayes leads USA to Olympic gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
External links
- Croix Bethune at Soccerway.com
- Croix Bethune at FBref.com
- Washington Spirit profile
- Croix Bethune at the National Women's Soccer League
- v
- t
- e
- 1 Kingsbury
- 2 Rodman
- 3 Krueger
- 4 Silano
- 5 Butel
- 6 Wiesner
- 7 Bethune
- 8 Morris
- 9 McKeown
- 11 Sarr
- 12 Sullivan
- 13 Ratcliffe
- 14 Carle
- 16 Brown
- 17 Hershfelt
- 18 Bosselmann
- 19 Kouassi
- 20 Kuhlmann
- 21 Heilferty
- 22 Stainbrook
- 24 Morgan
- 26 Metayer
- 28 Barnhart
- 31 Collins
- 32 Butler
- 33 Hatch
- 34 Stone
- 35 Hudson
- 39 Ricketts
- Santos
- Head coach: Giráldez