Girma was born in San Jose, California, to parents Girma Aweke and Seble Demissie, both Ethiopian immigrants who met in the Bay Area.[7][4][8] She has one brother, Nathaniel, who is three years older.[9] Her family speaks both Amharic and English.[4][8]
As a youth, Girma played for a local club her father formed for the Bay Area Ethiopian community in 2005, dubbed the Maleda Soccer Club, and attended Hacienda Elementary School and YMCA after-school basketball matches, following her brother's lead in sports.[4][8] She also practiced gymnastics for five years before settling on soccer in middle school.[8] After impressing coaches in 2009 during a practice to which she was invited by a friend, Girma played for a local youth club, Central Valley Crossfire, from 2010 until its dissolution in 2017. At Crossfire, playing under coach Bob Joyce, Girma was encouraged to participate in Olympic Development Program events and was called into the United States U-14 national team camp. She subsequently became a guest player for De Anza Force,[4] and also played for the California Thorns Academy[3][10][8] and Pioneer High School.[7][8]
Collegiate career
Girma (right) playing for Stanford in 2019
Girma played collegiate soccer for the Stanford Cardinal and captained the team to win the 2019 Women's College Cup.[3][4] She missed the early part of the 2021 season after tearing her ACL.[11][4] During her recovery, she applied to and was accepted into the Mayfield Fellows Program for entrepreneurship at Stanford.[4] In December 2021, Girma decided to forgo her remaining collegiate eligibility and declared for the 2022 NWSL Draft.[12] She graduated from Stanford in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in symbolic systems[13] and continued pursuing a master's degree in management science and engineering at Stanford after becoming a professional soccer player.[4]
On June 14, 2023, Wave FC announced that it had signed Girma to a new contract through 2026.[19] She led the Wave to the NWSL Shield in the 2023 season and was named the NWSL Defender of the Year for a second year in a row.[20]
Girma received her first call-up to the United States senior team in December 2019 but had to withdraw due to injury.[29] She was called up again in October 2020.[30][31] She debuted for the senior national team on April 12, 2022, in an international friendly against Uzbekistan.[32] She also appeared in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, and registered an assist on a goal by Sophia Smith against Jamaica during the tournament.[33]
In June 2023, Girma was named to the US squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.[34] She was a starting defender during the team's first group stage match against Vietnam: a 3–0 shutout.[35] During the first half, she started the sequence that led to the U.S.' second goal by lobbing the ball into the box to Alex Morgan who headed it to scorer Sophia Smith.[35] Girma was named U.S. Soccer's 2023 Female Player of the Year, becoming the first defender to win the award in its history as she was a part of a defense that allowed an average of just 0.17 goals per game during the year, the best in team history.[36]
In 2024, Girma was called up to represent the US at the inaugural 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup and 2024 SheBelieves Cup.[37][38] Girma was selected to the 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.[39] She was widely praised throughout the tournament as the team's most important player.[40][41] She was the only field player to play every minute of the tournament through to the gold medal game against Brazil, which the United States won 1–0 on a goal from Mallory Swanson.[40][42] She scored her first and second international goals in a friendly match against Argentina on October 30, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky.[43] In December 2024 she was voted by The Guardian at the 10th place among the top 100 women footballers in the world.[44]
Style of play
Considered one of the best center backs in the world,[45][46][47] Girma is known for her composure, intelligence, and leadership.[48][49] She was previously a central or defensive midfielder in her youth before being converted to center back at a youth national team camp.[50][51] She anticipates play and positions herself well to thwart attackers and can use her speed to beat opponents one-on-one.[50][52][53] She has good technical ability and passes well to set up plays.[49][51][52]
Career statistics
Club
As of November 30, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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