Meet the soccer players from WA who have played in the World Cup

The FIFA Men's World Cup coming to Seattle is an opportunity to highlight the men and women from Washington who have worn the crest of the United States and stood on a World Cup field.

In total, 11 players - five men and six women - have represented the soccer talent to come from the state and reached the premier level of being on a World Cup roster. Some are well known. Some less so.

This year will mark the first time since the 2003 Women's World Cup there isn't a Washington native on the roster for the Americans - unless you include Cristian Roldan, who at this point might as well be an adopted Washingtonian.

Men

Kasey Keller

Position: Goalkeeper

Hometown: Lacey

World Cups: 1990, 1998, 2002, 2006

Keller is one of the most decorated players in American soccer history, but his World Cup experiences were mixed. He was the backup in 1990 and 2002. He was controversially left off the team in 1994 but was back on the roster four years later and started two of the three matches in a rather disastrous 1998 World Cup for the U.S. In 2006, Keller was back in goal as the starter for all three group stage matches in what became his final World Cup.

The 2006 tournament does stand out above the others. At the time of the World Cup, Keller was the starting goalkeeper at Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga.

Keller: "The only reasons that I would hold 2006 in the highest regard was because that was the first time I really saw the American fans travel and have at every match that we played in. You would go to a stadium and there would be 20,000 Americans. You weren't just a pocket of support. There was real support in every match and that was fun to see that transition."

Chris Henderson

Position: Midfielder

Hometown: Everett

World Cups: 1990

Henderson was just a kid when the 1990 World Cup rolled around. As a 19-year-old at UCLA, Henderson was the youngest player on the American roster that went to Italy. Despite playing in matches before and after the tournament, Henderson never saw the field in Italy. And despite being a key figure for the Americans in international play through the 1990s, he was an alternate for the 1994 and 1998 teams.

Henderson: "While I was there, I'm like, 'Come on, coach, put me in.' I was confident, really confident, in the way I played and what I could do in the games, and I wanted to be contributing and on the field."

Marcus Hahnemann

Position: Goalkeeper

Hometown: Kent

World Cups: 2006, 2010

Like Henderson, Hahnemann never ended up seeing the field during his two World Cups. Both times, he was a backup - in 2006, he was slotted behind Keller; four years later in South Africa, Tim Howard was the clear No. 1. At the time of his selection in 2010, Hahnemann was almost 38 but had become the full-time starter at Wolverhampton after promotion to the Premier League. He spent two more seasons in England before returning to the Sounders for the final chapter of his career. Hahnemann said 2006 in Germany stands out in part because the team base camp was in Hamburg where he had strong family ties.

Hahnemann: "My parents' family, they immigrated in (1966) from Germany and in Hamburg, and that's where our team was stationed. So we had tons of family there at the games. And being able to represent your country in the greatest soccer tournament of all time … there's nothing else that even comes close to that."

DeAndre Yedlin

Position: Defender

Hometown: Seattle

World Cups: 2014, 2022

Yedlin's rise was rather remarkable. He earned his first cap playing for the U.S. on Jan. 3, 2014; five months later he was playing in the World Cup. Yedlin was a breakout star during his three appearances in 2014 in Brazil coming on as a sub in each of the final three matches, beginning with the 2-2 draw against Portugal. He played the final 88 minutes of the round of 16 loss to Belgium. Yedlin returned to the World Cup roster eight years later in 2022 and was the only player to be on both rosters. And like his role eight years earlier, Yedlin was a sub in two of the four matches.

Jordan Morris

Position: Forward

Hometown: Mercer Island

World Cups: 2022

When the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Morris seemed to miss his window of being a major contributor on the World Cup stage. Injuries and personnel changes kept Morris out of the national team mix until January 2022. By November 2022, he was named to the World Cup roster for Qatar and made his only appearance as a substitute against Wales.

Morris: "My family was just like right there in the front row, all sitting there, and I like kind of gave them a little acknowledgment as I was running in. I'm getting chills kind of thinking about it, just the full circle moment of like how much they supported me to get to that moment and then to have them sitting there as I'm subbing into a World Cup game. It's the moment I'll look back on in my career and be so grateful for and definitely the most special moment."

Women

Michelle Akers

Position: Forward

Hometown: Shoreline

World Cups: 1991, 1995, 1999

One of the most decorated women's soccer players in the history of the sport, Akers went from Shorecrest High School to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Akers played in three Women's World Cups, including the first one in 1991 when she helped lead the U.S. to its first title. She played again in 1995 and was part of the seminal 1999 roster that won the second title for the Americans and helped fuel the explosion of women's soccer. In 2022, Akers was named the FIFA Female Player of the Century, an award she shared with China's Sun Wen. In 2004, Akers and Mia Hamm were the only two women named to the FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living players at the time that was selected by Pelé.

Akers: "There's a whole other side to what a World Cup means when you know you can win it, and you possibly will win it. In saying that, it is special beyond words, because it's such an elevated, visceral feeling to walk out on the field on knowing you are the best in your country, and everyone watching you is cheering and lifting you up to be the best, and then the privilege of playing against these other players who are the best in their countries. It's just something really special in that only those players that have participated have that bond and camaraderie for the rest of their lives."

Hope Solo

Position: Goalkeeper

Hometown: Richland

World Cups: 2007, 2011, 2015

While events off the field have clouded some of her accomplishments, there's no questioning that Solo is one of the most decorated women's goalkeepers in history. Solo made 202 career appearances for the U.S., including 17 in three World Cups. The Richland native was the starter for most of the 2007 tournament in China before being replaced before the semifinal against Brazil, a match the Americans lost 4-0. Solo criticized U.S. coach Greg Ryan for the decision and was subsequently removed from the team and did not play in the third-place match. Solo was back in 2011 when the U.S. lost to Japan in the final but received the Golden Glove award as the top goalkeeper in the tournament. In 2015, Solo finally claimed a title as the U.S. beat Japan in the final. Solo allowed only three goals the entire tournament and received the Golden Glove for the second time.

Lori Henry

Position: Defender

Hometown: Shoreline

World Cups: 1991

While Akers was a star at Shorecrest, Henry was the star across town at Shorewood. They would both be on the first-ever U.S. women's team to take part in an international tournament in 1985 in Italy. Henry went on to join Akers as the only two women who were part of that inaugural team in 1985 to play in the first Women's World Cup in 1991. In between the 1985 debut and the 1991 World Cup, Henry had a decorated college career at North Carolina, winning three national titles.

"I had so many great experiences and I would never trade those away," Henry told The Times in 2007. "I relive those moments at certain times, and I cherish that."

Amy (Allmann) Griffin

Position: Goalkeeper

Hometown: Federal Way

World Cups: 1991

Griffin grew up in Federal Way and played with Akers collegiately at Central Florida. She made 24 career appearances with the national team but was the backup during the 1991 Women's World Cup. Griffin later had an extensive coaching career and most recently was the coach of the U.S. women's deaf national team through the end of 2025.

Shannon Higgins-Cirovski

Position: Midfielder

Hometown: Kent

World Cups: 1991

Part of the reason Akers ended up scoring 10 goals during the 1991 tournament was because of Higgins-Cirovski. The midfielder from Mount Rainier High School started five of the six matches the U.S. played and was responsible for the assists on both of Akers' goals in the 2-1 win over Norway in the final. Higgins-Cirovski started 47 of 51 career games with the national team, beginning in 1987 and concluding with the World Cup final. Higgins-Cirovski was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.

Tina Frimpong Ellertson

Position: Defender

Hometown: Vancouver

World Cups: 2007

The Vancouver native was a two-time Pac-10 player of the year at UW. But it wasn't until 2005 that she landed on the national team. Frimpong Ellertson made 34 appearances, including the 2007 Women's World Cup in China. Frimpong Ellertson came on as a sub in the semifinal loss to Brazil and in the win over Norway in the third-place match. Frimpong Ellertson is currently the associate head coach at the University of Portland.

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