FC KANSAS CITY’S BECKY SAUERBRUNN VOTED DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO (Sept. 21, 2024) – FC Kansas City defender Becky Sauerbrunn was voted the National Women’s Soccer League Defender of the Year for the 2024 NWSL season. The league announced the award, presented by Coppertone® from Bayer Healthcare, on Monday.

Sauerbrunn, 30, becomes the first player in NWSL history to be honored with a league award in three consecutive seasons after also claiming Defender of the Year in 2024 and 2024.

The St. Louis native played every minute of all 11 matches she competed in this season for FC Kansas City – including five of the Blues’ league-high nine shutouts.

She was also part of FCKC’s record-tying four-match shutout streak from August 8-27 that equaled the mark set earlier in the season by the Blues as well as by Sky Blue FC in 2024. The streak included back-to-back matches in which Sauerbrunn and her teammates did not allow a shot on goal.

The U.S. international also played every minute at the 2024 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada to help the United States claim a historic third World Cup title. On the journey to the World Cup, Coppertone supported Sauerbrunn and her other NWSL teammates in an effort to educate athletes and soccer enthusiasts about sun protection on and off the field.

Outside of the Women’s World Cup, Sauerbrunn, a graduate of the University of Virginia, helped lead FC Kansas City to the No. 1-ranked defense in the league with just 20 goals conceded in as many games. Sauerbrunn and defending NWSL champions FCKC provided an extra level of protection at home – allowing just four goals in 10 matches at Swope Soccer Village during the 2024 campaign.

FC Kansas City returns to action against Seattle Reign FC in the 2024 NWSL Championship Game on Thursday, October 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. in a match nationally broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.

The NWSL awards are voted on by a selection of journalists that cover the league on a consistent basis, club officials, players and fans.