Decorated veteran gets a taste of NWSL.
Almuth Schult was a rather surprise signing for Angel City FC during the 2022 season. The German goalkeeper, nearing a decade with powerhouse side Wolfsburg, was announced on a one-year deal with an option for 2023 in early-June, but she would not join the NWSL expansion side until she was done at Wolfsburg and then playing the Euros with Germany in July.
Schult’s story is pretty unusual in women’s soccer. She had twins and missed most of three seasons while carrying, delivering and then caring for them, but returned in the 2020-21 season with some spot action. Having previously played entirely in her native Germany, the move to California looked like a new opportunity and a chance to see something different, having previously won the Olympic gold medal in 2016.
Arriving in August, there were still some games left to be played in the club season, but with DiDi Haračić proving she was a capable starting goalkeeper, the vastly experienced Schult had to wait her turn to see game action, which came in the regular season finale.
Here are Schult’s statistics with ACFC in 2022:
Schult looked solid in her one game, a 2-0 road loss, in a game where Angel City had nothing to play for except being a spoiler for the Red Stars. Angel City’s playoff hopes died before the game came around, and given the circumstances, even in a loss I didn’t get the sense that Schult looked like a big step down from Haračić. Her saves were strong and she didn’t have any rust.
The question moving forward is what will happen with Schult. Will she stay at Angel City next year? Assuming Haračić remains the starter, would Schult be satisfied as the No. 2? Would her price point make that role make sense for Angel City? These are all open questions until we learn what the club plans to do with their squad for next season.
I think ultimately, when she signed in early June, it probably made some sense for ACFC to sign her. An experienced goalkeeper with one of the best resumés in the world, with Haračić not previously serving as a starter for a whole season, it was sensible to bring in another potential No. 1 as a hedge. But the issue was Schult going to the Euros. I don’t begrudge her doing that, of course, but it gave Haračić time to solidify her role as the starter, so by the time Schult arrived, Haračić was in great form and I think the questions she was not up to being a starter disappeared entirely.
You never know with injuries and other unavailabilities, of course, but all things being equal, if you have two No. 1s, you either have no No. 1 or the team is not spending around on the squad in the most efficient way. I think Schult as an insurance policy would not be the worst idea, but that would depend on if she’s comfortable in that role and if it makes financial sense for all sides. Schult definitely played well in her one NWSL game to date, but we’ll see if there are any more on the horizon.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.