Get to know Korbin Albert, the U.S. women’s soccer team’s newest rising star

When there’s a new name on a U.S. women’s soccer team, people pay attention. And when that player has taken an untraditional path, they pay attention even more.

So the spotlight shone on 20-year-old midfielder Korbin Albert when she made her U.S. debut last month, amid an impressive stretch of games for big-time French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Born in the Chicago suburbs, Albert left Notre Dame after two college seasons to move to Europe last January. She played for the U.S. under-20 World Cup team in 2022, but with far less hype than teammates Olivia Moultrie, Jaedyn Shaw, and Alyssa Thompson.

When Albert went to Paris, though, she was noticed. Not since Lindsey Horan skipped college to join PSG as an 18-year-old in 2012 had an American prospect became a professional abroad that early in a college career. And the abroad part of that equation counts, with those other teens turning pro in the NWSL.

Nor did the two other marquee Americans who spurned the NWSL do it so soon. Catarina Macario played three years at Stanford before going to France’s Lyon, and Mia Fishel played three at UCLA before going to Mexico instead of choosing to not sign after being drafted to the NWSL.

That all makes Albert’s story even more worth telling.

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Albert was under the weather when she arrived in Fort Lauderdale for last month’s U.S. camp. That limited her time to chat with Horan about their similar stories. But they had already crossed paths when PSG played Horan’s current club, Lyon, and Horan made a point of coming over to say hello.

“She came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I went through the same thing — if you ever need something, just reach out, no problem,’ ” Albert recalled. “That was really nice of her, and very important for me just to feel comfortable being in France.”

Albert’s quick start to life abroad has gotten attention from the French media. “Américaine Express” was the headline in L’Équipe, a top French daily sports newspaper, on the morning of PSG’s Champions League game at AS Roma on Dec. 20.

Albert scored her first goal for the club that night. She hasn’t had any assists yet, but her pass completion rate of 85.6% speaks well of her central midfield role.

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It isn’t always easy for U.S. fans to watch Albert play. Streaming platform DAZN has France’s women’s league and the women’s Champions League, and while it puts many games on YouTube for free, there’s no major TV package to go with it.

But the U.S. national team coaching staff has access to everything, and has made use of it. At last month’s camp, interim manager Twila Kilgore said the staff had been watching her “since long before the World Cup.”

“So we’re very familiar with her and what her progression has been with the club, what type of roles she’s played with the club,” Kilgore continued.

When the opportunity to meet in person finally came, Kilgore liked what she saw.

“She’s acclimated really well on a physical level, she’s integrated with the group really well, she’s taking her information — she’s very, very studious,” Kilgore said.

“I think I’ve seen her with an iPad every time walking around the hotel. At training, she’s the first one to get on a ball, I’ve noticed, and she’s the last one there with a ball, which has been great to see.”

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Albert had not yet heard of Kilgore’s remarks. She conceded that the iPad story was true.

“It’s cool to hear that from her, because I don’t really realize that she’s watching,” she said with a laugh. “I just wanted to make sure that I had everything correct. Especially [due to] maybe playing multiple positions on the team and having multiple roles, you just have to make sure you know everything, and there’s a lot that goes into each individual role.”

Albert earned her debut in the Americans’ last game of the year, playing the final 21 minutes against China as a substitute for — coincidentally — Horan.

“That was amazing,” Albert said. “Surprisingly, I wasn’t too nervous until I stepped on the field for my first time and I was like, ‘Oh [bleep], oh my gosh, I’m on the field, like, what’s happening?’

“And then I got kicked in the face.”

Yes, she meant that literally. Albert took an opposing cleat to the face mere moments after subbing in. It hurt, but it also ended up helping.

“Then I was like, ‘All right’ — it rocked my head back into place,” she said. “And then I wasn’t as nervous once that happened.”

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Kilgore gave a positive verdict on Albert’s play.

“I thought Korbin showed a lot of maturity and poise coming in,” she said. “She’s trained in multiple positions all week, which is not something that we generally ask [of] somebody who’s yet to be capped, but she’s capable of doing those things.”

That’s another experience Horan knows. She’s converted over the years from striker to attacking midfielder to deep-central facilitator. And now that she’s the captain, she said she feels “a big responsibility” to make newcomers feel welcome in national team camp.

Horan also recalled how much it helped that U.S. veteran Tobin Heath was at PSG when she arrived and helped her grow for club and country.

“It’s definitely an adjustment coming from a club environment and coming into national team camp,” Horan said. “In Korbin’s case it’s even more different — she’s not playing in the NWSL, where she may have teammates going into camp with her, and may not know everyone that well. That’s why I wanted to make sure she was comfortable and settled.”

It might be too late for Albert to make the U.S. team for the Olympics this summer. That squad will have just 18 players and four alternates, making for the hardest decisions in women’s soccer. But if Albert keeps playing this well, she’s going to make a case.

“You can see that she can cover a lot of ground, and that’s going to help us a lot defensively,” Kilgore said. “But she’s got a great mind for the game, she’s eager to play and combine with other people. And that was very, very encouraging to see.”

If Albert does get there, the story would have an extra layer. Not only is Paris the Olympics’ host city, but PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium will host the soccer gold medal matches.

Five years ago, the U.S. played two epic Women’s World Cup games at the Parc, including an all-time win over France in the quarterfinals. It won the semis and final at Lyon’s stadium, where it could return for an Olympic semi.

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Right now, Albert isn’t thinking about any of that. But she also doesn’t hide the scale of her ambitions.

“I try not to put myself below anybody, and I try to make sure I’m putting myself in their shoes as soon as possible,” she said. “If I’m on the field, I’m telling myself that I’m as good as they are, and I deserve to be here.”

So far, Albert has shown she definitely deserves to be where she is.