Michelle Jenny Betos (born February 20, 1988) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

coach and player who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for

NJ/NY Gotham FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sk ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL). She is perhaps best known for being the first NWSL goalkeeper to score a goal in league play. Betos played collegiate soccer at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

and signed her first pro contract with the

USL W-League USL W-League may refer to: * USL W League * USL W-League (1995–2015) The USL W-League was a North American amateur women's soccer developmental organization. The league was a semi-professional, open league, giving college players the oppor ...

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

in 2009. Prior to the founding of the NWSL, she played for

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city's estuary, Río de la Plata. ...

Apollon Limassol Apollon Limassol FC (, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Division and has won the championship tit ...

, and WPSL Elite teams Boston Aztec and

New York Fury New York Fury was a semi-professional American women's soccer club playing in the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States in 2012. It was part of the Fury Soccer Organization which also supports t ...

. She signed with

Seattle Reign FC Seattle Reign FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign ar ...

ahead of the NWSL's first season, starting in seven league matches while

Hope Solo Hope Amelia Stevens (; born July 30, 1981) is an American former soccer goalkeeper. She was a goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team from 2000 to 2016, and is a World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Aft ...

recovered from a wrist injury. Following a trade to the

Portland Thorns Portland Thorns FC is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL, which received supp ...

in 2014 and a loan spell at

Fortuna Hjorring Fortuna (, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at least the Ren ...

, Betos had her breakout campaign during the 2015 season, replacing Nadine Angerer as first-choice keeper to start 14 games for the Thorns, and winning the

NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year The NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award is presented annually to the best goalkeeper in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Nicole Barnhart (2013) won the first Goalkeeper of the Year award in the NWSL's inaugural season. The most recent wi ...

award. In 2016, she won the

NWSL Shield The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a ...

with the Thorns. After a further loan to

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

, and a season at

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for i ...

, she returned to the NWSL for a further two seasons at the Reign during which she made 12 starts. Betos was selected by Racing Louisville in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft and went on to captain the team during their inaugural season, starting in 20 league games. She signed for Gotham FC in January 2022 and went on to win the 2023 NWSL Championship with the team. After retiring as a player following the 2024 season, she joined the Gotham FC staff as assistant goalkeeper coach.

Early life

Born in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

to parents Luke and Susan Betos, Michelle began playing soccer at age five at the urging of her father, a one-time semi-professional player in Greece. She attended St. Francis Preparatory School in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough of

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. She was a two-year captain on the soccer team and was named 2005 Most Valuable Player. She played for the Albertson Fury '87 from 2004 to 2006, during which time she was coached by Paul Riley, and was a member of the Region I

Olympic Development Program The United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer, abbreviated USYS) is the largest youth affiliate and member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 54 S ...

(ODP) team in 2006. In 2005, she was named an ENYSSA State Team player and participated in the Super Y-League Olympic Development Program (ODP) National Camp.

College career

University of Georgia

Betos attended the

. She finished her college career with a total of 316 saves, ranking third all-time at Georgia and second in shutouts (26) and wins (48). During her senior year, she started all 22 games, logging 1,929 minutes and earned eight shutouts and a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.12 per game. Her junior year, she appeared in all 23 games making 22 starts. She recorded seven shutouts and a 1.19 GAA, finishing the season with 117 saves. Betos was named SEC All-Tournament Team and SEC Defensive Player of the Week on October 21, 2008. In 2007, she started all 24 games, finishing with 18 wins, eight shutouts and a 0.79 GAA. She recorded a save percentage of .816, making 84 saves and allowing 19 goals. She was named the team's Defensive Most Valuable Player. During her freshman year, Betos appeared in 12 games in goal, making eight starts. She led Georgia in GAA (1.18), save percentage (.732), fewest goals allowed (11), wins (5), shutouts (3) and saves (30). She was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team the same year.

Club career

Atlanta Silverbacks, 2009

Betos played for the

of the W-League during the 2009 season. She was named W-League Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the Atlanta Silverbacks to the regular season Southeast Division title. She finished the season with a 9–1–1 record and the team finished 10–1–1. She ranked second in the league for her 0.188 goals-against average, nine wins and nine shutouts.

New York Fury, 2012

Betos signed with the

in the

Women's Premier Soccer League Elite The Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite) was a women's semi-professional soccer league created by the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to support the sport in the United States, both from continued interest by WPSL teams in profes ...

for the 2012 season, where she was reunited with former youth coach Paul Riley.

Apollon Limassol, 2012-2013

Betos signed with

for the 2012–2013

UEFA Women's Champions League The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. ...

campaign. She recorded five appearances for the team for a total of 450 minutes.

Seattle Reign FC, 2013

Betos was selected by the

during the 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft as their fifth pick and 34th pick overall. Intended to serve as a backup to

, she was the starting goalkeeper for seven of the club's matches during the beginning of the 2013 season while Solo recovered from wrist surgery. Betos made 34 saves and registered a 2.0 goals against average.

Portland Thorns FC, 2014–2016

In the 2013–14 offseason, Seattle traded Betos and Kristie Mewis to the

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional women's soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defu ...

in exchange for Sydney Leroux. Boston soon traded Betos to Portland for the thirty-fourth pick in the 2014 NWSL College Draft. Initially serving as a backup to Nadine Angerer, Betos made 14 starts during the 2015 season. On June 19, 2015, Betos scored the equalizing goal for 10-man Portland in the 95th minute against

FC Kansas City FC Kansas City was an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was one of the eight founding clubs of the National Women's Soccer League in 2012, and began play in 2013. They were two-time NWSL champio ...

. This was the first ever goal scored by a goalkeeper in the NWSL. Her goal was featured on ESPN SportsCenter as the #2 play during the show's Top 10 feature. She was subsequently named

NWSL Player of the Week The National Women's Soccer League Player of the Week was a weekly soccer award given to individual players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) from 2013 to 2023. The honor was awarded by popular social media vote to the player deemed to ...

. Following the season, she was named

in spite of the team's relatively poor sixth-place finish. Betos was part of the 2016 Thorns team that won the

, making 14 appearances with

Adrianna Franch Adrianna Nichole "AD" Franch (born November 12, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Birmingham City. She previously played for Kansas City Current, and Portland Thorns FC, winning the NWSL Championship in 2017 with th ...

starting in the other six games. She was one of three finalists for Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016.

Loan to Sydney FC 2015-2016

In September 2015, Betos joined

on loan for the 2015–16 season, helping the team to a place in the 2016 W-League Grand Final.

Vålerenga, 2017

Betos signed with Norwegian

Toppserien The Toppserien is the top level of women's association football in Norway. It was founded in 1984. History Women's league football was introduced on a county basis in 1977. These leagues acted as qualification for the regional (South) league in ...

side

Vålerenga Fotball Vålerenga Fotball () is a Norwegian professional association football, football club from Oslo, and a part of the multi-sport club Vålerengens IF. The club currently competes in the Eliteserien after being promoted from the Norwegian First ...

in 2017 in search of more starts, playing in all but three matches.

Return to Seattle Reign FC, 2018-2020

On January 30, 2018,

announced that Betos would be returning to the club for the

2018 NWSL season The 2018 National Women's Soccer League season was the sixth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2 ...

. Betos would play in only 12 league games and three

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

games, struggling with injuries throughout her time at the Reign.

Racing Louisville FC, 2021

On November 12, 2020, Betos was selected by

Racing Louisville FC Racing Louisville Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Louisville, Kentucky, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team i ...

in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. Betos captained the team during their first season in the NWSL, starting in 20 games and logging 95 saves, second in the league, and four clean sheets.

NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2022–2025

After being released by Racing Louisville, Betos returned to her native New York by signing with

on January 11, 2022. Betos competed with

Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Michelle Harris (born October 19, 1985) is an American former Association football, soccer player. She represented the United States women's national soccer team, making her debut for the senior national team on March 11, 2013, and was ...

for a starting spot during her first season at the club, with Betos playing in 14 games and Harris in eight. Following the signings of Abby Smith and

Mandy Haught Amanda Kathleen McGlynn (formerly Haught; born November 3, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for NJ/NY Gotham FC, winning t ...

, Betos did not feature in the 2023 season, which ended in a sixth-place finish and an

NWSL Championship The NWSL Championship is the annual championship game of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-flight women's soccer league in the United States. It is the culmination of the NWSL playoffs, which is contested by the teams with the ...

win. Betos was nominated as Gotham FC's candidate for the 2023 Ally Award, presented to the teammate who "embodies the spirit of the consummate teammate, inspiring rookies and veterans alike" on behalf of the NWSL Players Association. As of November 2023, Betos serves as one of Gotham FC's player representatives for the NWSLPA. She served on the bargaining committee for the NWSLPA's 2022-2026

collective bargaining agreement A collective agreement, collective labour agreement (CLA) or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written contract negotiated through collective bargaining for employees by one or more trade unions with the management of a company (or with an ...

, the first in league history. On January 22, 2025, Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer. The following month, Gotham FC announced Betos would join the team technical staff as assistant goalkeeper coach. She temporarily unretired on April 12, 2025, filling in as an injury replacement player for backup goalkeepers Shelby Hogan and Ryan Campbell.

Awards and Honors

Portland Thorns FC *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

NJ/NY Gotham FC *

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Individual * W-League Goalkeeper of the Year: 2009 * NWSL Best XI:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

: 2015 Week 10, 2021 Week 5

References

External links

*
archive

Michelle Betos #1
at

(archived) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Betos, Michelle Living people 1988 births Soccer players from Queens, New York American women's soccer players 21st-century American sportswomen National Women's Soccer League players Seattle Reign FC players New York Fury players Portland Thorns FC players Fortuna Hjørring players Sydney FC (women) players Racing Louisville FC players Georgia Bulldogs women's soccer players Expatriate women's footballers in Cyprus Expatriate women's footballers in Denmark Expatriate women's footballers in Argentina Apollon Ladies F.C. players Women's association football goalkeepers Atlanta Silverbacks Women players Vålerenga Fotball Damer players Boston Aztec (WPSL) players Women's Premier Soccer League players Club Atlético River Plate (women) players Seattle Reign FC draft picks American expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus American expatriate sportspeople in Denmark American expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Gotham FC players