Brooklyn FC has its first player on the radar of the United States women's national team.
21-year-old goalkeeper Neeku Purcell is one of 24 players called into Futures Camp by USWNT coach Emma Hayes. The camp takes place from January 14-21 at LA Galaxy home Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
It's not quite a full-on USWNT call-up, as Futures Camp is being held concurrently with a USWNT training camp with a separate 26-player roster. There are no USWNT matches scheduled around these two January camps, as they fall outside of FIFA's schedule of official international windows. So in essence, Emma Hayes is overseeing a 50-player training week in Los Angeles with a mix of domestic-based players.
That includes Purcell, who happens to be the one and only player from the USL Super League called up by Hayes. It's a win for the league in its inaugural season to already have a player getting USWNT attention, though Purcell is a familiar name on United States youth national team rosters.
Purcell has represented the United States across lots of different age groups, from the U-15s up. She was notably with the United States U-20s as they qualified and competed at the 2022 U-20 World Cup – Purcell started one of the three US matches played during that World Cup, a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands.
Every player called into this 2025 USWNT Futures Camp remains age-eligible for the Under-23s, and the 24-player roster is comprised of 14 professionals (13 NWSL, 1 USL Super League) and 10 players coming straight from college. Purcell carries some weight as that one standing out from the Super League.
Purcell is a native of Seattle, Washington who played in the youth academy of Seattle Reign FC (then OL Reign) for numerous years starting in 2016, and also with FC Olympia in the USL W League, all before attending UCLA. She played two seasons collegiately before going pro with Brooklyn for its first season, though she's not always been the team's first option in goal.
Sydney Martinez, the first player Brooklyn signed to its first Super League squad, has started nine of the first 14 matches played so far this season. That shifted some at the end of the Fall portion of the schedule, as Brooklyn Head Coach Jessica Silva went with Purcell for Brooklyn's final two matches.
Purcell kept clean sheets in both of those matches, Brooklyn wins over Lexington SC and Dallas Trinity which ensured BKFC finished the first half of the season at the top of the Super League table.
Takashi Williams
A big reason why Brooklyn sits atop the table is its defense and goalkeeping, as the team has conceded just eight goals across its 14 games, the fewest in the Super League. Brooklyn has kept seven clean sheets total, four for Martinez and three for Purcell, so picking a starting keeper seems like a nice problem to have.
Brooklyn and the rest of the USL Super League remain on winter break until the Spring portion of the season kicks off on February 22. Neeku Purcell now gets to spend part of that winter break trying to impress Emma Hayes and the rest of the USWNT staff.
Neeku Purcell has been called up to the 2025 USA Futures Camp by USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes 🇺🇸
— Brooklyn Football Club W (@_BrooklynFCw) January 8, 2025
Purcell has been called up to the USYNT every year since 2017 AND is the only USL SL player headed to the camp. Congratulations and good luck to our keeper! We are so proud of you! pic.twitter.com/sHa2YU2dN7
