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Nealy Martin

Nealy Martin
Martin with Gotham FC in 2024
Personal information
Full name Nealy Cameron Martin[1]
Date of birth (1998-04-22) April 22, 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Defender, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Gotham FC
Number 14
Youth career
Birmingham United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Alabama Crimson Tide 76 (5)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2022 Racing Louisville 29 (0)
2023– Gotham FC 19 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 April 2024

Nealy Cameron Martin (born April 22, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender or defensive midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Alabama Crimson Tide. She has occasionally served as an emergency goalkeeper, most notably in the closing minutes of Gotham's victory in the 2023 NWSL Championship.

Early life and college career

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Martin began playing soccer at the age of three.[2] She attended Oak Mountain High School, which she helped lead to the Class 7A state championship in 2015, conceding a school-record-low six goals throughout her senior season.[3] She played ECNL club soccer for Birmingham United.[2] She was named the Birmingham Player of the Year after her senior season and was the top-ranked recruit of her class from the state of Alabama.[2]

Alabama Crimson Tide

Initially wanting to attend Auburn University, the alma mater of her parents, Martin was recruited by the University of Alabama during her junior year.[2] She appeared in all 19 games (16 starts) in her freshman season in 2016. She started all 18 games in her sophomore season, helping Alabama qualify for the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round. In her junior season, she started 19 games and scored 2 goals.[4] On August 17, 2018, when goalkeeper Alex Plavin received a red card against TCU, junior defender Martin played 48 seconds in goal, saving a free kick attempt by Yazmeen Ryan. Alabama was then able to substitute goalkeeper Kaylee Hammer.[5][6] Martin scored a career-high 3 goals in 20 games in her senior season. She helped Alabama reach the quarterfinals of SEC tournament, where she scored in what was her final game as they lost 2–1 to Vanderbilt.[4]

Club career

Racing Louisville

Martin went overseas to Wales to study and try to continue playing soccer when she heard that National Women's Soccer League club Racing Louisville FC was holding open tryouts in December 2020.[7][8] She was named to Louisville's preseason roster and officially signed with the club on April 5, 2021.[9][10] She made her professional debut on April 10, starting in a 2–2 draw against the Orlando Pride in the group stage of the NWSL Challenge Cup.[11][12] She appeared in 18 matches (13 starts) for the season at center back or outside back.[13]

Martin made 4 starts for Louisville at right back in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. In the regular season, she made 11 appearances (8 starts) but was unused for 10 of the last 11 games of the year.[14] She was waived by Louisville at the end of the season.[15]

Gotham FC

NJ/NY Gotham FC signed Martin off the waiver wire on December 8, 2022, on a one-year contract with an option for an additional year.[15] She made her club debut on April 19, 2023, coming on for Kristie Mewis in a 1–0 win against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup group stage.[16] She recorded her first NWSL assist on June 25, when Lynn Williams scored off Martin's throw-in for the opening goal in a 2–1 win against the Chicago Red Stars.[17] On August 19, during a 2–1 loss to the San Diego Wave, she played the final minutes of stoppage time in goal after goalkeeper Abby Smith was injured and Gotham had used all their substitutions.[18] On September 22, she signed a new contract to keep her with Gotham through 2026.[19] She finished the 2023 regular season with 15 appearances (13 starts) as a defensive midfielder as Gotham placed sixth of 12 teams.[20]

In the 2023 playoffs, Martin started as Gotham defeated the North Carolina Courage 2–0 and the Portland Thorns 1–0 in extra time to reach the championship game.[21] In the title game on November 12, Gotham led OL Reign 2–1 when goalkeeper Mandy Haught was sent off with a straight red card in the 97th minute. Martin stepped in goal for the second time that year, putting on a goalkeeper jersey that was too big for her. After the Reign's Rose Lavelle hit her free kick into Gotham's wall of players, the whistle blew for Gotham's victory 90 seconds later.[22][23] Gotham offered Nealy Martin goalkeeper jerseys for sale on her birthday the next year.[24]

Martin appeared in 24 games (21 starts) in the 2024 regular season as Gotham finished third in the standings.[25] She also started all 5 games in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, helping Gotham not concede until the final 2–0 loss to the Kansas City Current.[26] In the 2024 playoffs, she played every minute as Gotham beat the Portland Thorns 2–1 before losing to the Washington Spirit on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the semifinals.[27]

International career

Martin was called into camp with the United States national team in January 2025, her first national team call-up at any level.[28]

Career statistics

As of match played April 20, 2024[29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Racing Louisville FC 2021 NWSL 18 0 3 0 — 21 0
2022 11 0 4 0 — 15 0
NJ/NY Gotham FC 2023 15 0 6 0 3 0 24 0
2024 4 0 1 0 — 5 0
Career total 48 0 14 0 3 0 65 0
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs

Honors

NJ/NY Gotham FC

Individual

  • SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year: 2019

References

  1. ^ "College of Engineering: Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering". The University of Alabama: Summer Convocation of the One Hundred Ninetieth Commencement (PDF). University of Alabama. p. 54. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Anderson, Jonathan (October 3, 2019). "O Captain! My Captain! Senior Nealy Martin casting a long shadow on Alabama soccer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  3. ^ Knox, David (May 9, 2015). "Oak Mountain girls are 7A soccer champs". 280Living. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Nealy Martin – Alabama Profile". Alabama Crimson Tide.
  5. ^ "USWNT announces Emma Hayes, NWSL Championship recap: Full Time".
  6. ^ "Soccer vs TCU on 8/17/2018 – Box Score".
  7. ^ Sease, Martha Glen (May 17, 2022). "A product of Alabama Soccer: Nealy Martin in the NWSL". The Crimson White. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  8. ^ Spencer, kent (June 9, 2021). "'I'm living out a dream right now' | Racing Louisville FC's Nealy Martin defies odds on the pitch". WHAS-TV. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "BUSA Alumni Nealy Martin Makes NWSL Preseason Roster". Birmingham United. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. ^ "Former Alabama Soccer Player Nealy Martin Signs with Racing Louisville FC". Alabama Crimson Tide. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Racing Louisville vs Orlando Pride". Soccerway.
  12. ^ "2022 Racing Louisville FC Roster". racingloufc.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021.
  13. ^ "Nealy Martin 2021 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "Nealy Martin 2022 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Gotham FC Signs Defender Nealy Martin". NJ/NY Gotham FC. October 8, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  16. ^ "Match Recap: Gotham FC Defeats Washington Spirit 1-0 in UKG NWSL Challenge Cup Opener". NJ/NY Gotham FC. April 19, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  17. ^ "Match Recap: Gotham FC Sends World Players Out in Style with 2-1 Home Victory". NJ/NY Gotham FC. June 25, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  18. ^ "Match Recap: Gotham FC Scores in Final Minute, Falls 2-1 to San Diego Wave FC". NJ/NY Gotham FC. August 20, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  19. ^ "Gotham FC Signs Midfielder Nealy Martin to New Contract". NJ/NY Gotham FC. September 22, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  20. ^ "2023 Gotham FC Stats (NWSL)". FBref.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  21. ^ "Nealy Martin 2023 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  22. ^ Schneider, Jacob (November 12, 2023). "Watch: Chaos in the NWSL final! Gotham FC field-player Nealy Martin forced to play goalkeeper after stoppage-time red card vs OL Reign". Goal.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  23. ^ "NWSL Championship: Gotham FC avoid disaster despite keeper red card". Just Women's Sports. November 11, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  24. ^ NJ/NY Gotham FC [@GothamFC] (April 22, 2024). "We heard y'all! 🚨 ..." (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2025 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "2024 Gotham FC Stats (NWSL)". FBref.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  26. ^ Nealy Martin at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  27. ^ "Nealy Martin 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  28. ^ "Emma Hayes Names 26-Player Roster for U.S. Women's National Team January Training Camp in Los Angeles". United States Soccer Federation. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Nealy Martin at Soccerway. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  30. ^ "NWSL Championship highlights: Gotham FC crowned champions as Rapinoe, Krieger end careers". USA Today. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
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