Samantha Keala Staab (born March 28, 1997) is an American professional soccer defender who currently plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[3]

Sam Staab
Personal information
Full name Samantha Keala Staab[1]
Date of birth (1997-03-28) March 28, 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth San Diego, California, United States
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Chicago Red Stars
Number 3
Youth career
DMCV Sharks
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Clemson Tigers[2] 80 (5)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Washington Spirit 93 (4)
2019–2020Western Sydney Wanderers (loan) 12 (2)
2024– Chicago Red Stars
International career
2018 United States U23 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 16, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of February 29, 2020

Early life edit

Staab played for the DMCV Sharks in her childhood.[4]

Clemson Tigers edit

Staab attended Clemson University, where she played for the Tigers women's soccer team from 2015 to 2018.[2] She was selected for the ACC All-Freshman team in 2015 after starting all 20 games in her first season.[5] After making the All-ACC second team in each of the next two years, she was selected to the All-ACC first team in her senior season.[6] At the time of her graduation, her 33 career assists were tied for 4th-most in school history.[7]

Club career edit

Washington Spirit edit

Staab was drafted 4th overall in the first round of the 2019 NWSL College Draft by the Washington Spirit.[6] In April, she was signed to the Spirit's senior roster in advance of the 2019 NWSL season.[8] Staab made her professional debut on April 13, 2019, against Sky Blue FC, scoring a 59th-minute goal en route to a 2–0 season-opening win for the Spirit.[9] Staab went on to appear in every minute of the Spirit's season, becoming the second-ever NWSL player to play every minute of her rookie season. She was considered one of the league's top defenders, earning a spot on the May and June 2019 NWSL Team of the Month and she was one of three nominees for Rookie of the Year.[10][11][12] In 2020, she played every minute of the Spirit's season.[13] In the NWSL Challenge Cup she converted a header off a set piece in the 77th minute against the Portland Thorns, scoring the Spirit's lone goal in the team's 1–1 tie.[14] In 2022, Staab played every minute of the Spirit's season.[15]

On April 29, 2023, Staab made her 73rd consecutive regular season start in the NWSL, breaking a record held by Amber Brooks.[16] As of October 20, 2023, Staab has played every minute of 90 consecutive matches, completing 3 iron woman seasons.[17]

Western Sydney Wanderers edit

Staab was signed in advance of the 2019–20 W-League season by the Western Sydney Wanderers. Staab made her debut for the Wanderers on November 14, 2019.[18]

Chicago Red Stars edit

She was traded to Chicago Red Stars in January 2024.[19]

International career edit

Staab attended training camp with the United States under-19 team in January 2016.[20] Staab was first selected for the United States under-23 team in March 2018 for the 2018 Thorns Spring Invitational.[21] She was called up again for the 2018 Nordic Tournament, where she was the only non-professional player selected for the U.S. roster.[22] She started all three games, and scored the game-winning goal for the United States in the final match, ensuring a first-place result in the tournament.[23]

Honors edit

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ "College of Business: Bachelor of Science, Accounting". Commencement: Thursday, December 20, 2018 (PDF). Clemson University. December 20, 2018. p. 19. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Sam Staab". Clemson Tigers Athletics. February 4, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "Sam Staab – Soccerway Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Homegrown Pros: Two Sharks Drafted in NWSL". DMCV Sharks. January 12, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Clemson Women's Soccer Program Celebrates Successful Season". Clemson Tigers Athletics. March 28, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Clemson Women's Soccer star Sam Staab drafted in first round of NWSL draft". Independent Mail. January 11, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  7. ^ "Staab Earns All-America Honors, Two Other Tigers Named All-Region". Clemson Tigers Athletics. November 29, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "Washington Spirit announces updated 25-player roster ahead of 2019 NWSL season". Washington Spirit. April 8, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  9. ^ Giambalvo, Emily (April 13, 2019). "Washington Spirit opens new NWSL season with 2–0 win over Sky Blue FC". Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  10. ^ Anderson, Jason (October 17, 2019). "Washington Spirit have multiple nominees for NWSL end-of-season awards". Black and Red United. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Anderson, Jason (May 31, 2019). "Four Washington Spirit players make NWSL Team of the Month for May 2019". Black and Red United. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Purdy, Jacqueline (July 8, 2019). "June Team of the Month". NWSL. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  13. ^ "2020 Challenge Cup Sam Staab statistics". Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  14. ^ Anderson, Jason (July 6, 2020). "Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns trade set piece goals in 1–1 NWSL Challenge Cup draw". Black and Red United. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "Stam Staab 2022 Season statistics". Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  16. ^ @NWSL (April 30, 2023). "Sam Staab now has the most consecutive starts in league history, breaking the record held by her teammate Amber Brooks 🏁" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "Washington Spirit's Sam Staab ties NWSL Iron Woman record". October 20, 2023.
  18. ^ "Signing news: Wanderers secure Harrison and Staab". w-league.com.au. Football Federation Australia. October 23, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  19. ^ Brockway, Ella (January 12, 2024). "Spirit gets busy, deals Ashley Sanchez, Sam Staab and loads up in draft". Washington Post.
  20. ^ "Staab Invited to U19 USWNT Camp". Clemson Tigers Athletics. January 6, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  21. ^ "Clemson's Sam Staab Back in Action with U.S. U-23 WNT". ABC Columbia. March 9, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  22. ^ "U-23 WNT Headed to Norway for 2018 Nordic Tournament". U.S. Soccer. August 23, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  23. ^ "USA takes first place in 2018 Women's U-23 Nordic Tournament". Soccerwire. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  24. ^ "NWSL Announces Winners of 2023 Mastercard Best XI Awards". November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "ACC Women's Soccer: 2018 Season Awards Announced". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.

External links edit