Carson Pickett, first USWNT player with a limb difference, now anchoring Denver’s expansion back line

DENVER — Carson Pickett was born on 15 September 1993 without a left forearm and hand. She plays left-back. In June 2022 she started for the United States women’s national team against Colombia in Sandy, Utah — the first player with a limb difference to appear for the USWNT — and completed 90 minutes in a 2-0 win.

The cap was late by international standards. She was 28. It was earned on club form, not symbolism. Pickett had already been named to the NWSL Best XI in 2021 and 2022 with the North Carolina Courage, where she led the league with six assists in 2022 and reached her 100th NWSL appearance.

Seattle Reign selected her fourth overall in the 2016 draft out of Florida State. She later played for Orlando Pride, North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville, with loan spells at Brisbane Roar in Australia. In August 2024 she returned to Orlando mid-season. That year the Pride won both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship.

Throw-ins, challenges and first contact on her left side required adaptation from the start. She has said she uses what she has and forces play onto her stronger right when she can. Off the field she has become a visible advocate for limb-difference awareness, including a widely shared 2019 moment with a toddler born with the same condition.

In December 2025, expansion side Denver Summit FC signed her through 2027. The club’s roster page lists her as a veteran left-back bringing championship experience to an inaugural NWSL season. She remains what she has been since college: a professional defender whose résumé is measured in minutes, titles and caps — and who happened to make history by taking the field.

Sources

• U.S. Soccer match report, USWNT 2–0 Colombia, 28 June 2022
• CNN and ESPN, reports on Pickett’s first cap and limb-difference milestone
• Wikipedia / club records: NWSL career, 2016 draft, Brisbane Roar loans
• Denver Summit FC official announcement and roster, December 2025