There are a number of Individuals at present enjoying overseas within the 2025-26 UEFA Ladies’s Champions League, however solely one in all them is having a lights-out efficiency. Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce has two clear sheets via two rounds of league section play and is the one keeper with two shutouts within the match, and she or he is on 5 straight clear sheets going again to qualifiers.
Her performances for Manchester United are an early glimpse of a goalkeeper’s skill to handle video games and alter the membership’s trajectory towards success. Her opening day clear sheet towards UWCL debutants Valerenga may need fallen beneath the radar towards large scorelines in different matches, however her matchday two shutout was a transparent instance of resilience beneath strain away from dwelling.
After Manchester United fell to 10 gamers following a purple card to defender Dominique Jenssen, the goalkeeper pulled off all of the strikes to maintain issues degree forward of halftime following a harmful set piece by Atletico Madrid.
Large video games with larger statements
Tullis-Joyce, from New York Metropolis and having performed on the College of Miami, is a goalkeeping instance of a contemporary prototype. Sure, she is tall and the wingspan to match, however this is not nearly placing the tallest participant within the aim.
It isn’t that she possesses some form of cat-like agility to make saves. No, she’s a kraken, using her towering presence to cowl the goalmouth with scientific effectivity, and terrorizing attackers by whirlpooling their highly effective photographs into an abyss of a failed try. Her command over the field is stark and one which eliminates harmful crosses and virtually dares opponents to attempt their luck on aim.
In a match the place Manchester United operated down a participant for almost an hour, it was greater than a end result; it was a press release. Atletico Madrid cranked up the hassle within the second half and compelled the WSL facet into uncomfortable defensive positions, all whereas peppering the aim. However irrespective of the shot, the 28-year-old’s situational consciousness and fast reactions had been on full show.
There was extra effort over the rest of the sport, as Atletico Madrid outshot Manchester United with extra makes an attempt on course, and Tullis-Joyce supplied six saves. Atleti had 18 photographs to United’s 10.
This isn’t a keeper who merely makes the save, nonetheless. She aids her backline as a relaxing pressure and is on her option to turning into a clear sheet service provider. 12 months over yr, she’s constructing her repute, not on flash, however on confidence.
The Manchester United participant has been with the membership since 2023 and has quickly develop into a face of the membership and a basis piece. They’re again within the Champions League for the second time, after lacking out final season. They’re hopeful to have a greater exhibiting than their marketing campaign through the 2023-24 season, the place they had been eradicated by Paris Saint-Germain within the second qualifying spherical.
New format generally is a contemporary begin
Nonetheless, the brand new Champions League format is already exhibiting that the pivot to the Swiss mannequin is a worthy shift for the match. There have been surprises with intently contested attracts, gorgeous objectives, and even huge scorelines. There have been 39 objectives scored throughout matchday one alone.
The distinctive league section draw has pitted groups in a single desk format, and it may very well be one which favors Manchester United down the stretch. Of the “huge 4” thought of contenders in FC Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, Arsenal, and Chelsea FC, Manchester United have just one head-to-head towards Lyon. They don’t face the French giants till December.
Having a six-foot keeper controlling issues in aim can also be an enormous upside. Now, Tullis-Joyce will take back-to-back Champions League victories into the subsequent U.S. girls’s nationwide staff coaching camps. The participant was one in all three goalkeepers chosen for the upcoming October worldwide window.
Performances worthy of worldwide reward
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has been vocal about squad rotation within the buildup towards the 2027 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup. The supervisor views the rest of the yr as an alternative to slender the pool to give attention to qualifiers subsequent November. She had reward for Tullis-Joyce forward of the squad’s time collectively.
“I believe you may see the consistency of the choice within the three goalkeepers we have introduced in. We’re beginning to get that. There’s consistency in that. I believe Phallon and her experiences in England have actually taken her sport up a notch, like I actually discover she’s enjoying with a participant that has gone via the varied ranges. There was issues she completely needed to work on publish Seattle, that I believe she’s gone to England and began so as to add,” Hayes advised media after the roster choice.
There’s been an elevated highlight on the beginning goalkeeper place for the reason that retirement of former USWNT No. 1 Alyssa Naeher. The upcoming frieldies may even function retirement celebrations for Naeher and Alex Morgan. There’s been a reasonably equal mixture of rotation for minutes between Tullis-Joyce, Claudia Dickey, and Mandy McGlynn, although the Manchester United participant had stood out over others in matches towards Brazil, China, and Jamaica.
“I’ve stated this, like, lots of occasions, if you consider when Alyssa Naeher turned the U.S. nationwide staff primary goalkeeper, it takes some time. However I’d additionally say inside that, Phallon is one sort of goalkeeper, Claudia [Dickey] is one other sort of goalkeeper, who I believe can also be bringing a constant degree of play. I believe the distinction between them is that one’s extra skilled than one has lived extra skilled conditions, not simply Champions League, FA Cup finals, perhaps numerous membership strikes.
“However I do assume the pool that we’re bringing on this camp, that we expect that these three are forward. I believe Phallon is forward at this second in time, from an expertise perspective, however I do count on that I will likely be offering alternatives for at the least two of them on this camp.”
What’s subsequent
Manchester United will subsequent return to the WSL season in November. They will face Brighton Hove & Albion away on Nov. 2 earlier than returning to Champions League play towards Paris Saint-Germain on Nov. 12. Phallon Tullis-Joyce will be part of the USWNT for friendlies towards Portugal and New Zealand on Oct. 23, Oct. 26, and Oct. 29.
You possibly can watch UWCL motion on Paramount+.
