_043_(cropped).jpg) Pickett withRacing Louisville in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carson Leighann Pickett[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-09-15)September 15, 1993 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Denver Summit | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Florida State Seminoles | 103 | (7) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Seattle Reign | 36 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | →Brisbane Roar (loan) | 35 | (6) |
| 2018–2020 | Orlando Pride | 39 | (0) |
| 2020 | →Apollon Ladies (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | North Carolina Courage | 44 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Racing Louisville | 36 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Orlando Pride | 29 | (4) |
| 2026– | Denver Summit | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010 | United States U-17 | ||
| 2015 | United States U-23 | ||
| 2022– | United States | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of November 16, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of October 11, 2022 | |||
Carson Leighann Pickett (born September 15, 1993) is an American professionalsoccer player who plays as aleft back forDenver Summit FC of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She is an advocate for limb difference awareness and was born without a left forearm and hand.
Pickett played college soccer for theFlorida State Seminoles before being drafted bySeattle Reign FC in2016. She receivedNWSL Best XI honors twice while playing for theNorth Carolina Courage in 2021 and 2022. Pickett has also played for the NWSL'sRacing Louisville FC and the Australian clubBrisbane Roar FC. She made two appearances for theUnited States national team in 2022, becoming the first player with a limb disability to play for the team.[2]
Raised inFleming Island on the northeastern coast ofFlorida nearJacksonville, Pickett attendedSt. Johns Country Day School and won 3 state championships with the soccer team.[3][4][5][6] In 2012, she was namedGatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the state of Florida,[7] and 2012, Florida Times-Union First Coast Player of the Year.[8] Pickett was born without a left forearm and hand, a fact many reporters have highlighted throughout her career.[9] Her condition was the subject of a viralInstagram photo during the2019 season. The photo showed her "fist-bumping" a 2-year-old boy who was also born without a left forearm and hand, with both using their left arms to do so.[10]
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Pickett attendedFlorida State University from 2012 to 2015, where she played soccer for theFlorida State Seminoles and was a four-year starting defender.[3] In 2014, she led the Seminoles to their firstNCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship anchoring a defense that allowed no goals throughout the tournament.[11][12]
Pickett was selected bySeattle Reign FC as the fourth overall pick of the2016 NWSL College Draft.[13] Of the selection, Reign FC head coachLaura Harvey said, "Pickett is a player that we have been tracking closely for a long time. We were hoping she would still be available with our pick in the first round, so the choice to select her was an easy one. We think she will be a valuable addition to our squad during the upcoming season."[14] She made her debut for the club during its season opener againstSky Blue FC on April 17.[15]
In October 2017, Pickett was loaned toBrisbane Roar for the2017–18 W-League.[16] She scored her first professional goal on November 10, 2017, in the Roar's 1–0 win overWestern Sydney Wanderers.[17]
She returned for second and third loan spells during the2018–19 W-League and2019–20 W-League seasons.[18][19] On February 23, 2020, Pickett had her first career multi-goal game when she scored twice in a 5–0 win overCanberra United.[20] Pickett was named as the team's player of the year for the 2019–20 season.[21]
In January 2018, Pickett andChristine Nairn were acquired by theOrlando Pride in a trade that sentSteph Catley to Seattle.[22] Pickett played in nineteen of twenty-four matches (including sixteen starts) for an Orlando side that finished seventh in the league.[23][24]
In March 2020, the impending NWSL season was postponed due to thecoronavirus pandemic. An eventual restart was made through a smaller schedule2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament.[25][26] However, on June 22, Orlando withdrew from the tournament following positive COVID-19 tests among both players and staff.[27]
In August, having been unable to feature for Orlando Pride, Pickett moved toCypriot First Division clubApollon Ladies on loan until November.[28] She never made an appearance for the team.
On February 4, 2021,North Carolina Courage acquired Pickett in a trade with Orlando in exchange for the playing rights toJodie Taylor.[29] Over her two years with North Carolina, Pickett contributed 11 assists, including an NWSL-leading six in 2022. She was twice named to theNWSL Best XI and nominated forNWSL Defender of the Year during her time at North Carolina.[30][31]
In January 2023,Racing Louisville FC acquired Pickett and fellow North Carolina Courage defenderAbby Erceg in exchange for Emily Fox.[32] Pickett signed a three-year contract with Racing through the 2025 season.[33]
Pickett returned to the Orlando Pride on August 16, 2024, in a trade for $75,000 in allocation funds to Louisville.[34]
On December 1, 2025, it was announced that Pickett would be departing the club as a free agent.[35]
On December 22, 2025, NWSL expansion clubDenver Summit FC signed Pickett to a two-year contract ahead of the team's inaugural season of play.[36]
Pickett has represented the United States on the under-17[37] and under-23 national teams.[38]
On June 28, 2022, she made her debut for theUnited States national team against Colombia, becoming the first player with a limb difference to play for the USWNT.[39][40]
In recent years, Pickett has become a significant advocate for limb difference awareness. In a 2020 interview forCBSSports.com, Pickett said,
Ever since I got to the pros and seeing how many amazing messages I get sent about how I inspire people, some who aren't even soccer players... [Seeing that] just showed me that I can do so much more than just be a good soccer player, and that I could advocate for something much bigger than soccer.[41]
She worked withNike to develop the Phantom GT Academy FlyEase boots, designed with a fold-down heel and a wraparound strap closure in place of laces. In the aforementioned interview, she added,
Honestly, my first reaction when I saw the Phantom GT FlyEase was relief. I thought about my younger self and what it would have meant for me if something like this existed when I was growing up. I feel like this boot represents me and anybody else who is unique. FlyEase is very easy for anybody to put on quickly, which I love.[41]
Pickett was previously in a relationship with Racing Louisville FC teammate and former New Zealand internationalAbby Erceg.[42]
| Club | League | Season | League | Playoffs[a] | Cup[b] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Seattle Reign FC | NWSL | 2016 | 15 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||||
| 2017 | 21 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| Orlando Pride | NWSL | 2018 | 19 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |||||
| 2019 | 20 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| Brisbane Roar (loan) | W-League | 2017–18 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| 2018–19 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | |||||
| 2019–20 | 11 | 3 | — | 11 | 3 | |||||||
| Total | 35 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 | ||
| North Carolina Courage | NWSL | 2021 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 20 | 1 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 1 | ||
| Racing Louisville FC | NWSL | 2023 | 20 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 16 | 1 | — | — | 2[c] | 1 | 18 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 2 | ||
| Orlando Pride | NWSL | 2024 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 197 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 222 | 10 | ||
| National Team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Orlando Pride
Individual
