Tara McKeown Bio
Tara Leana McKeown (born July 2, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club Washington Spirit and the United States national team. A former college forward at the University of Southern California, she was drafted eighth overall by the Washington Spirit in the 2021 NWSL Draft and later converted into a defender in 2023. In 2025, she earned NWSL Defender of the Year honors, cementing her status as one of the league’s top defenders.
Early Life and Background
Tara Leana McKeown was born on July 2, 1999, in Newbury Park, California, to parents Conor and Tracy McKeown. She was raised alongside two sisters and one brother in a supportive family environment that nurtured her athletic interests. Her early exposure to competitive sports came through youth soccer and track and field programs in her hometown.
McKeown attended Newbury Park High School, where she played soccer and also competed in hurdles for the track team. She developed through the Newbury Park Panthers youth setup from 2013 to 2017 and was a member of Cal South ODP Pro and State teams in 2011, 2012, and 2013. By the time she finished high school, she had earned CIF Southern Section First Team honors, All-Ventura County First Team recognition, and the Daily News Soccer Player of the Year award, along with the Marmonte League Most Offensive Player distinction.
Her club career also gained national attention. McKeown was ranked as the No. 29 recruit in the class of 2017 by the IMG Soccer Academy, the No. 8 recruit in Southern California, and the No. 4 recruit at the defender position. She helped lead Newbury Park High School to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 semifinals for the first time in school history during the 2015-16 season.
Path to Soccer
McKeown’s path to elite-level soccer began with standout youth performances and steady development within Southern California’s competitive soccer ecosystem. Her progression through Cal South ODP teams and high school honors signaled her potential for higher-level play. By her senior year, she had established herself as one of the top-ranked defenders in her recruiting class.
Her college selection process reflected her dual-threat profile as both a defender and attacker. The University of Southern California offered her the opportunity to compete in the Pac-12 Conference while refining her attacking skills. McKeown’s high school resume and IMG ranking made her an attractive recruit for the USC Trojans, where she would quickly carve out a role.
Tara McKeown Career
Early Career (2017-2021)
McKeown attended the University of Southern California and featured in 76 matches for the Trojans from 2017 to 2021. As a freshman in 2017, she appeared in all 20 games during the season and was included on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team, signaling her immediate impact at the collegiate level.
In her junior year, McKeown transitioned from playing as a fullback to a forward. She finished the year with 15 goals and 8 assists, earning the 2019 Pac-12 Forward of the Year award and becoming a semifinalist for the Mac Hermann Trophy. In her final college season, she started all 14 games and led the team in assists, capping her collegiate career with first-team All-American honors in 2019.
NWSL Breakthrough (2021-2022)
The Washington Spirit selected McKeown with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NWSL Draft. The Spirit had traded $100,000 in NWSL allocation money and a second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft to Sky Blue FC to acquire the pick. After being selected, she chose to play her final college season before joining the Spirit.
On May 15, 2021, the Spirit signed McKeown to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. The next day, she made her NWSL debut, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute for Ashley Sanchez in a 1–1 draw with the Orlando Pride. On September 26, 2021, she scored her first goal for the Spirit in a 2–1 victory over Kansas City. Later in the season, she appeared in the 2021 NWSL Championship, helping the Spirit beat the Chicago Red Stars 2–1 to earn the first NWSL Championship in club history. She drew a penalty in the 66th minute that Andi Sullivan converted.
Washington Spirit Era (2023-Present)
On January 19, 2023, the Spirit announced a three-year contract extension with a team option for 2026. At the start of the 2023 NWSL season, McKeown was converted from a forward into a center back. Spirit general manager Mark Krikorian proposed the change with an eye toward making the national team as a defender. She played in 21 of 22 regular season matches, leading the NWSL in clearances, and was selected as NWSL Player of the Week on June 21, 2023.
McKeown played every minute of the 2024 season for the Spirit, becoming an iron woman for the first time. During the quarterfinal playoff game against Bay FC, she scored a goal from outside the box in the 86th minute to equalize at 1–1, pushing the game into extra time. The Spirit won 2–1 and advanced to the championship, where they lost to the Orlando Pride.
Driving Style and Strengths
McKeown combines the instincts of a former forward with the discipline of a converted defender. Her attacking background gives her comfort pushing forward into the box and arriving late in attacking sequences, while her reading of the game and aerial ability made her a natural fit at center back. Her partnership with the Spirit’s coaching staff helped her lead the league in clearances during her first full season as a defender.
Notable Events and Milestones
McKeown reached her 100th NWSL match on August 9, 2025, in a 0–0 draw against Gotham FC. She scored the winning penalty kick in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup shootout against the Orlando Pride, earning redemption for the previous year’s championship loss. At the end of the 2025 season, she was named NWSL Defender of the Year, the highest individual honor of her professional career.
Tara McKeown Career Wins
McKeown has built a growing list of team trophies and individual awards since entering the NWSL. Her most significant club honors include the 2021 NWSL Championship and the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup, both won with the Washington Spirit.
Washington Spirit Highlights
McKeown’s defining club moment came in the 2021 NWSL Championship, where she drew the penalty that equalized the final against the Chicago Red Stars. The Spirit won 2–1 for their first-ever NWSL title. She added another major trophy in 2025, converting the decisive penalty kick in the NWSL Challenge Cup shootout against the Orlando Pride.
Other Wins and Performances
At the college level, McKeown earned first-team All-American honors in 2019 and was named Pac-12 Forward of the Year the same season. On the international stage, she represented the United States at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and scored her first international goal during the 2019 Women’s International U-23 La Manga Tournament against France.
Tara McKeown Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
Tara Leana McKeown was raised in Newbury Park, California, by her father Conor McKeown and her mother Tracy McKeown. She grew up with two sisters and one brother in a family that supported her athletic development from a young age.
Personal Life
In December 2025, McKeown married Carson Rudd, a baseball player in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system. It was announced that she would begin playing under her married name, Tara Rudd, in 2026.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NWSL season marked McKeown’s emergence as one of the league’s elite defenders. She played her 100th NWSL match on August 9, 2025, in a 0–0 draw against Gotham FC, a milestone reflecting her durability and consistency since being drafted in 2021. Her performances anchored a Spirit defense that competed deep into the postseason.
McKeown delivered one of the signature moments of the year by converting the winning penalty kick in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup shootout against the Orlando Pride. That victory erased the memory of the previous year’s championship defeat and reinforced McKeown’s reputation for stepping up in high-pressure moments. Her growing partnership with the Spirit’s defensive unit continued to strengthen throughout the season.
At season’s end, McKeown was named NWSL Defender of the Year, the top individual honor for her position in the league. The award capped a campaign in which she balanced club duties with her first senior appearances for the United States national team, which began with her debut on February 20, 2025, against Colombia in the SheBelieves Cup. With her contract running through 2026 and a team option beyond that, McKeown entered the offseason as a foundational piece of both the Spirit and the national team picture.