Tara McKeown

Tara Leana McKeown (born July 2, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Washington Spirit. Prior to the 2023 season, McKeown had primarily played as a forward.

Early life
Born to Conor and Tracy McKeown in Newbury Park, California, McKeown was raised with two sisters and one brother. She attended Newbury Park High School, where she played soccer and competed in hurdles in track.

College career
McKeown attended the University of Southern California and featured in 76 matches for the Trojans from 2017 to 2021. In her freshman year, McKeown appeared in all 20 games during the season and was included 2017 Pac-12 All-Freshman team. In her junior year, McKeown transitioned from playing as a fullback to a forward. She finished the year with 15 goals and 8 assists, getting named the 2019 Pac-12 Forward of the Year and becoming a semifinalist for the Mac Hermann Trophy. In her final year of college, McKeown started all 14 games and led the team in assists.

Club career
The Washington Spirit selected McKeown with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NWSL Draft. Earlier, the Spirit had traded $100,000 in NWSL allocation money and its second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft to Sky Blue FC in order to obtain the pick. After being selected, McKeown chose to play in her final year with USC before joining the Spirit after the college soccer season concluded. On May 15, 2021, the Spirit signed McKeown to a two-year contract with an option for a third year.

On May 16, 2021, McKeown made her NWSL debut, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute for Ashley Sanchez in a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride. On September 26, 2021, McKeown scored her first goal for the Spirit in a game vs Kansas City in a 2–1 victory. Later in the season, McKeown appeared in the 2021 NWSL Championship, helping the Spirit beat the Chicago Red Stars in a 2-1 result and earn the first NWSL Championship win in club history. McKeown directly contributed to the victory, drawing a penalty in the 66th minute of the match after being fouled in the box by Chicago defender Tierna Davidson. McKeown's teammate, Andi Sullivan, converted the penalty kick and drew the two teams level.

In 2022, McKeown appeared in 12 regular season games and scored 3 goals.

On January 19, 2023, the Spirit announced that the club had re-signed McKeown on a three-year contract with a team option for 2026. On July 24, 2023, McKeown was announced as the Spirit's team Ambassador in the 2023 Nationwide Community Impact Program. She partnered with DC Scores, working to support the girls' soccer pipeline in Washington, D.C.

At the start of the 2023 NWSL season, McKeown was converted from a forward into a center back. McKeown played in 21 of the 22 regular season matches for the Spirit, leading the NWSL in clearances. On June 21, 2023, McKeown was selected as the NWSL Player of the Week after scoring 2 goals (in separate competitions) and making several important defensive actions.

International career
McKeown has played internationally for the United States women's national under-20 soccer team. On July 17, 2018, McKeown was named to the roster for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, alongside USC teammate Savannah DeMelo. McKeown appeared in the starting lineup for the United States in the team's second group stage match, versus Paraguay.

In 2019, McKeown was a member of the United States women's national under-23 soccer team. She was part of the squad that participated in the 2019 Women’s International U-23 La Manga Tournament. McKeown was the lone goalscorer for the United States in its second match of the competition, a 3-1 loss against France. The goal was McKeown's first international goal at any level.