Carly Nelson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carly Marie Nelson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | February 11, 1998[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Lindon, Utah, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Celtic Storm | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | Utah Utes | 63 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Utah Royals FC Reserves | 1 | (0) |
| 2020 | OL Reign | 0 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Kansas City Current | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → FC Nordsjælland (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | FC Nordsjælland | 10 | (0) |
| 2023 | Orlando Pride | 3 | (0) |
| 2024 | Utah Royals | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 7, 2025 | |||
Carly Marie Nelson (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who most recently played as a goalkeeper for Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Early life and college career
[edit]Born in Lindon, Utah, Nelson was a two-time First Team All-State goalkeeper as she helped Timpanogos High School reach the 4A state title game in three straight seasons. She was also named Team MVP twice. She played club soccer with Celtic Storm, winning the state title in five seasons[3]
Utah Utes
[edit]Nelson played four seasons of college soccer at the University of Utah between 2016 and 2019 while studying for a bachelor's in positive psychology. As a freshman she made seven appearances, keeping three shutouts and conceding three goals. She made her first collegiate start in a 3–0 win over in-state rival Utah State on August 28, 2016.[4] In 2018, she was twice named Pac-12 Conference goalkeeper of the week, led the conference in saves with 92 in total and ranked fourth in save percentage at 82.1%. In her final season, she made a career-high 105 saves, the most by a Ute in two decades and recorded Utah's longest shutout streak since the 2006 season after keeping four throughout September.[3]
In summer of 2019, Nelson also played for Utah Royals FC's semi-professional reserve team in the Women's Premier Soccer League.[5] She was rostered for nine games and made one appearance, 45 minutes in a 1–0 defeat to Utah Arrows.[6]
Club career
[edit]OL Reign
[edit]Nelson declared for the 2020 NWSL College Draft but was not selected.[7] She was invited to preseason training camp with Utah Royals FC as a non-roster invitee but the league shut down two days in to camp due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In June 2020, Nelson signed a short-term contract with OL Reign, one of four non-roster invitees signed for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, the NWSL's replacement competition for a return to play following the three-month stoppage.[8][9] She was an unused substitute in all five games. She was also an unused substitute in two Fall Series games.[citation needed]
Kansas City Current
[edit]Nelson signed with the unbranded Kansas City NWSL expansion franchise on December 23, 2020. She made her senior club debut for the team on July 23, 2021, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw with North Carolina Courage.[10]
FC Nordsjælland
[edit]In August 2021, Nelson was loaned to Danish Kvindeliga club FC Nordsjælland. She made her debut for the club on September 25, in a 3–1 win against AGF. She made 18 league appearances, keeping seven shutouts and conceding 15 goals as Nordsjælland finished 4th. She also made three appearances in the Danish Women's Cup. In July 2022, she joined the club permanently.[11]
Orlando Pride
[edit]On January 29, 2023, Nelson and Nordsjælland mutually agreed to terminate her contract so she could return to the United States,[12] signing a two-year contract with Orlando Pride.[13]
Utah Royals
[edit]On December 12, 2023, Orlando traded Nelson to hometown expansion franchise Utah Royals along with $65,000 in Allocation Money in exchange for an International Roster Spot for the 2024 season.[14] Nelson started in the Royals' return game as a franchise, a defeat to the Chicago Red Stars on March 16, 2024.[15] In May 2024, she took a mental health leave from soccer after not making any more appearances since the inaugural match.[16] At the end of the season, Nelson was among the list of players not returning to Utah in 2025.[17] It was later revealed that a large part of her exit was due to alleged abuse perpetrated by Royals coaches.[18][19]
Personal life
[edit]Nelson was raised in a Mormon community and speaks openly about her journey to freedom from the religion.[20] She is openly gay and first came out at 13 to her best friend before being bullied at school as a result. With no support at home or school, Nelson felt isolated and attempted suicide.[21] She is now an advocate for raising awareness to the struggles LGBTQ+ teens go through.[22]
In January 2025, Nelson created a post on Instagram alleging "emotional and psychological abuse" at the hands of Utah Royals coaching staff.[19] She claimed that a toxic environment was cultivated and that attempts to seek mental health support were met with retaliation and resistance by coaches.[18] Nelson later took mental health leave and did not return to Utah after that season.
Career statistics
[edit]College summary
[edit]| Team | Season | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Utah Utes | 2016 | Div. I | 7 | 0 |
| 2017 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 20 | 0 | ||
| Total | 63 | 0 | ||
Club summary
[edit]- As of March 7, 2025
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Playoffs | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| OL Reign | 2020 | NWSL | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Kansas City Current | 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| FC Nordsjælland (loan) | 2021–22 | Kvindeliga | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |
| FC Nordsjælland | 2022–23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Orlando Pride | 2023 | NWSL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Utah Royals | 2024 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "2020 Graduates: Graduates with the Degree of Bachelor of Science" (PDF). College of Social and Behavioral Science Convocation: Commencement 2020 & 2021. University of Utah. May 7, 2021. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ "OL Reign 2020 Media Guide" (PDF). OL Reign. 2020. p. 30. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "Carly Nelson - Soccer". University of Utah Athletics.
- ^ "Utah Soccer Shuts Down Utah State 3-0". University of Utah Athletics. 28 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Utah native, former Ute GK Carly Nelson working to make a mark on OL Reign in NWSL Challenge Cup". Deseret News. 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Utah Royals FC Reserves - 2019 Regular Season Roster". wpslsoccer.sportngin.com.
- ^ "Final list of players eligible for 2020 NWSL College Draft". www.nwslsoccer.com.
- ^ "OL Reign Signs Former Ute Carly Nelson to Short-Term Contract". 10 September 2020.
- ^ "OL Reign Announce 28-Player Roster for NWSL Challenge Cup". OL Reign. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ "Kansas City NWSL Goalkeeper Carly Nelson Earns Clean Sheet in 0-0 Draw - Kansas City Current". www.kansascitycurrent.com. July 23, 2021.
- ^ "Lejeaftale gøres permanent". Sjællandske Nyheder (in Danish). July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Carly Nelson skifter til Orlando Pride". fcn.dk (in Danish). 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Orlando Pride signs goalkeeper Carly Nelson". www.orlandocitysc.com.
- ^ "Orlando Pride acquires 2024 International Roster Spot, trades Carly Nelson and Allocation Money to Utah Royals FC". www.orlandocitysc.com.
- ^ "Utah Royals fall to Chicago Red Stars 2-0 in first game since 2020". Deseret News. 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ Turner, Caleb; May 29, KSL com | Posted-; P.m, 2024 at 3:02. "Lindon native, Utah alum Carly Nelson takes 'mental health leave' from Utah Royals". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ rsl. "Utah Royals FC Announces 2025 Roster Decisions | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ a b "Former Utah Royals goalkeeper alleges club allowed 'emotional and psychological abuse'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ a b "Former Royals goalkeeper accuses NWSL club of `emotional and psychological abuse'". AP News. 2025-01-12. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (October 16, 2019). "Utah soccer star Carly Nelson has walked some tough miles as an openly gay athlete, and come through intact. 'I've loved my journey,' she says". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Raised a Mormon, gay Utah goalie overcomes hate to find happiness". Outsports. October 16, 2019.
- ^ "KC NWSL's Carly Nelson on being LGBTQ+ teen in Utah and becoming role model she needed". Kansas City Star. July 1, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Carly Nelson at Utah Utes
- Carly Nelson at Soccerway.com
- Carly Nelson at kicker (in German)
- Carly Nelson at FBref.com
- Living people
- 1998 births
- People from Lindon, Utah
- Soccer players from Utah County, Utah
- American women's soccer players
- Women's association football goalkeepers
- Utah Utes women's soccer players
- Seattle Reign FC players
- Kansas City Current players
- FC Nordsjælland (women) players
- Orlando Pride players
- National Women's Soccer League players
- Elitedivisionen players
- American expatriate women's soccer players
- American expatriate sportspeople in Denmark
- Expatriate women's footballers in Denmark
- American lesbian sportswomen
- American LGBTQ soccer players
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- Utah Royals players
- 21st-century American sportswomen