Meagan McClelland Leads From Behind as USL Super League’s Top Goalkeeper

In 2024, the United Soccer League’s Super League and Carolina Ascent FC brought top-tier women’s professional sports back to Charlotte for the first time since the Charlotte Sting last played in 2006.

Many of the faces involved were familiar to the Charlotte soccer community. Charlotte Independence owner Dan DiMicco would also be part of the Ascent’s ownership group, with much of the Independence’s management team and staff supporting the new women’s team.

Head coach Philip Poole had lived and coached in Charlotte for 24 years and inaugural club signing Vicky Bruce grew up in Lake Norman, playing soccer at Davidson College. Many of the squad’s subsequent signings had local ties as well.

Meagan McClelland, the Ascent’s starting goalkeeper, did not. She came to the Ascent from New Jersey via the National Women’s Soccer League and Denmark, but that didn’t make kicking off her USL Super League career in Charlotte any less meaningful.

“The first game is honestly one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life so far. It was just so surreal,” McClelland told Queen City Nerve in February. “The stadium was sold out. It was loud. We got to host the [first-ever USL Super League game] … It was super cool, just being out there as a team and then being able to get a win and a shutout. The night couldn’t have gone more perfect.”

Shutouts have been McClelland’s specialty for the Ascent; as of this writing she leads the league with six clean sheets and 39 saves. That level of play hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Meagan is a warrior in goal,” said Bruce, who plays center back and serves as a co-captain for the Ascent. “She has such a big presence and voice. She’s great with her hands and feet and has saved us more times than I can count!”

However, despite setting an NCAA record for minutes played in goal and winning an NWSL championship with soccer legend Ali Krieger, McClelland wasn’t always going to be a goalkeeper. In fact, she was a prodigy in multiple sports other than soccer.

Garden State greatness

Meagan McClelland grew up in Kearny, New Jersey with two brothers. Her soccer career started early on, playing for a team sponsored by her family’s daycare business.

“One day when I was either 3 or 4, [soccer] was one of the sports my parents kind of threw me into,” said McClelland. “[My childhood was] just sports and being active. I have two older brothers, so I was always playing with Hess trucks or going out and playing football with them and their friends. I wasn’t a huge fan of dolls.”

In elementary school, winning came too easy for McClelland, but it wasn’t in the first sport you might guess.

“In fourth grade I tried basketball and it was a train wreck,” said McClelland. “I hated it because I was the only girl that could reach the basket and I felt selfish. I didn’t like it.”

When she tried basketball again in middle school, McClelland appreciated her talents more as the competition got fiercer. She went on to be an all-county first team basketball player in high school, scoring 1,348 points for Kearny High School in north New Jersey and winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards during her years on the team.

“Meagan McClelland was one of the fiercest competitors I have ever been honored to coach,” said Kearny HS varsity basketball coach Jody Hill. “She was unstoppable in anything she did. Clearly she is an amazing goalie and has surpassed all expectations. The incredible part is that she also was the best basketball player in our league!”

Still, McClelland always knew soccer was going to be her passion.

“I wish I was able to kind of do both in college,” said McClelland. “Basketball was a good outlet for me from soccer, but I definitely think from the very beginning I knew that soccer would be my number one and I would want to play professionally and in college.”

“She is one of the best athletes to come out of Kearny High School,” said Vincent Almeida, the current athletic director at Kearny and one of McClelland’s high school soccer coaches. “Beyond her natural talent, her work ethic and drive to succeed elevated both her and her teammates to another level. Meagan also excelled in the classroom and is a great example of the student-athletes we strive to develop at KHS.”

McClelland’s soccer career started young, but it wasn’t until third grade that she tried being a goalkeeper. She used to hop in goal during soccer games at recess, but it still didn’t become her main position until later, after a Secret Santa got McClelland her first pair of goalkeeper gloves.

“I actually kind of did it as late as possible. I think one day at practice my coach was like, ‘Oh, who wants to hop in goal?’” said McClelland. “So one day I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll go in goal. I have gloves,’ and so I would go in.”

McClelland would only play one half per match in goal, switching her pinny off and on depending on where she was on the pitch. She made the switch to full-time goalkeeper at 12 years old. Throughout her youth career, she played for Players Development Academy, a top-tier club in New Jersey where she would meet her future college coach, Mike O’Neill.

“My neighbor had played for PDA,” said McClelland, who joined the club when she was 7 years old. “So from the get go soccer was kind of like the number one sport. I enjoyed it. I loved it, and I was at a high level from the beginning.”

As she developed her goalkeeper skills, she’d play the latest FIFA video game with her friends — finding a couple of stars to look up to in her new position.

“I was always a fan of whoever was in goal for the US,” said McClelland.

National Soccer Hall of Famer Hope Solo was the first that came to mind for McClelland, who also became a huge fan of Manuel Neuer, goalkeeper for Germany’s Bayern Munich.

Right before high school, McClelland’s promising career hit a setback. In youth soccer, top-tier club teams are typically more important than school teams, and at PDA McClelland was sent down from the first team to the second team.

“I know a lot of the young girls around the world would probably know that that feels like your world is crashing down and everything,” said McClelland.

She wasn’t deterred, however, and within three months she worked her way back up the first team. A couple years later she was playing in the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the Under-17 US team.

“That usually has been an important part of my career, you know, not to ever give up or not to ever feel like you’ve been let down, or that you’re not good enough,” she said. “That was a part of my career where I was like, ‘Yeah, this isn’t gonna work. I’m gonna make sure I’m back up there and being the best I can be.’”

McClelland would earn multiple caps across the U-19, U-20, and U-23 US Youth National teams.

Records set and decisions to be made

After PDA and Kearny, Meagan McClelland decided to stay close to home and play soccer for Rutgers University. She trusted the Rutgers coaching staff and, as a bonus, her parents were able to attend her home matches. McClelland was a core piece of the team from her freshman year forward, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in her first season.

She played all but one minute she was eligible to play during her years as a Scarlet Knight. Due in part to earning an extra year of eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic, she set an NCAA record for the number of minutes played in goal.

By the end of her college career, she had started 101 out of 102 matches and played a total of 9,482 minutes — a record that has only been surpassed by one NCAA goalkeeper.

Going to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), McClelland was signed to short-term and replacement contracts in her rookie year, moving from Chicago to San Diego and finally to NJ/NY Gotham FC, which plays less than 3 miles from her high school at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

After playing in every match of her college career, McClelland had to adjust to sitting on the sidelines after she went pro. Some young players play overseas to log minutes and gain experience, but even though McClelland didn’t make any official NWSL appearances in her rookie season, she did get the chance to watch World Cup champion Ali Krieger as part of her NSWL championship team at Gotham FC.

The NWSL has limited spots for players and does not offer large contracts, which makes things difficult for some women who have high potential but end up leaving the league.

“These girls have dreams, and it just really isn’t there financially and opportunity-wise, but it’s definitely making a turnaround. It’s getting better and better. So hopefully, in the next couple of years, or when my daughter plays soccer, she could be making six or seven figures right off the bat.”

Professional players outside of the top leagues — and many players on rookie contracts in the top leagues — often struggle to make ends meet. So when the Super League was announced, McClelland immediately paid attention.

The new league gave her an opportunity to make a livable wage and stay in her home country to play, but it was an awkwardly timed waiting game in the meantime.

“I knew this league was coming, and I think that’s what was hard for me in my offseason, finding a club overseas that needed a goalkeeper for a couple of months and was gonna sign a starting goalkeeper, but not sign someone that would have to be there for the whole year, which is kind of hard in the position.”

To Denmark and back for the USL Super League kickoff

In early 2024, Meagan McClelland moved to Denmark to help a small team there, getting her first true professional start in the process. With six clean sheets in nine playoff matches, she helped Odense Boldklub Q win promotion to Denmark’s top flight league.

When her transfer to the Ascent was announced, OB Q sporting director John Bæksted said he was more proud than disappointed to see his goalkeeper go.

“We are incredibly proud that we have developed a player so much … and in record time,” stated Bæksted in a press release.

Though McClelland always intended to return to the States, she enjoyed playing abroad.

“Going through the experience of playing for a team that had never been promoted before, and getting that promotion was just such a cool experience,” said McClelland. “Being on the field, celebrating after, just being with the girls and knowing that we just made history and all our hard work has paid off … It was really cool.”

Read more: Carolina Ascent FC Gears up for Inaugural Kickoff

When McClelland came to Charlotte from Denmark, there was no question she’d be the starting goalkeeper, which made the Ascent’s opening night with a crowd of more than 10,500 people at American Legion Memorial Stadium an experience unlike any other she had played in thus far.

Though she had seen her team play in front of audiences as big as 25,000 in the NWSL, the crowd in Charlotte would be her biggest as a player on the pitch.

“It was just a surreal moment,” said McClelland. “It was just really cool, being able to experience it with everyone … It was unreal and definitely a top-five experience I’ve had so far.”

She already knew Coach Poole — or “Pooley” as players refer to him — from his days coaching in the US Youth National Team ecosystem. She quickly became a leader on the team thanks to her work ethic, skill and sense of humor.

“Meg is a character,” said Poole. “She is great around the training ground and in the community.”

David Thackham, founder of the Base Camp supporters group for the Ascent, said members were recently at a game joking about the number of goalkeeper jerseys they saw in the audience around them.

“She’s a real field general of the backline,” Thackham said. “You can see how she marshals the defenders and ensures space. [At 5’9”] she’s not the tallest keeper out there, but you can tell she’s got a fearless streak. She’ll jump into the fray on a corner and is never afraid to dive and intercept a pass coming in from the wing.”

Winning their first match, McClelland and the Ascent’s defense would shut out opponents in 6 of the first 11 matches, though the goalkeeper is quick to give credit to the outfield players.

“I feel like my team always makes my job easy,” said McClelland. “Those girls are throwing their bodies on the ground, blocking shots, running around like crazy for 90 minutes. So a lot of credit to them. I just save the ball when it comes to me, but they’re the ones that do all the magic and defend me and keep me safe.”

Climbing past the plateau

Though the Ascent spent most of 2024 on top of the Super League, they had a disappointing run of form in November and December, ending the season with three straight losses.

“I don’t think it was anything specific. We had some injuries and fatigue,” said Meagan McClelland. “We’re tired. It’s the end of the season, but I think we’ve kind of learned from that. We’re professionals, this is our job; and we know we can never mentally shut off.”

After the Ascent’s final home match in December, another loss, we asked Poole who the bedrock of the team was for the first half of the season. McClelland, unsurprisingly, was the first player he pointed to.

“Meagan’s been great,” said Poole. “Meagan’s been a superstar for us.”

“It’s frustrating to get beat as a defender, but it feels much better knowing she’s behind us to make that game-changing save,” said Bruce.

While she commands the admiration of her teammates, McClelland pointed to team captain Taylor Porter as one of the people on the squad she looks up to.

“She’s, you know, just a great leader,” said McClelland. “She’s [very calm on the field], never loses the ball, which is awesome, so I think she gives everyone a nice calming presence.”

The Ascent have had a mixed record since coming back from the winter break: a win, a draw, and a loss in three home fixtures. The team has struggled with tougher competition and better-adjusted opponents, giving up an average of two goals per match in 2025 as opposed to less than a goal per match in 2024.

During the break, the Ascent added a goalkeeper who could challenge McClelland for minutes: UNC Chapel Hill and NC Courage alum Samantha Leshnak Murphy.

“Sam comes to us having gained top flight experience in Europe. She will immediately improve our squad and push for minutes,” said Poole in a February press release. “Sam’s connections to the Carolinas as a UNC Tar Heel will allow our fans to connect with her immediately.”

As of this writing, McClelland is yet to earn a clean sheet this calendar year, but despite the increased competition — from other teams and her own bench — she’s played every minute for the Ascent and is looking forward to helping the team climb back into first place.

“Right now [Brooklyn is] at the top of the table. So they have the target on their back,” she said. “That was us for about 12 weeks. So I think it’s exciting to be like, ‘Okay, that’s where we were. We know how it feels to be up there, and we want to be back there.’”