Red Stars sign top Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold

The Red Stars signed Australian national team goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold on Thursday. The 25-year-old, who was part of the Matildas’ roster for the last two Women’s World Cups, will be available to make her National Women’s Soccer League debut for the Red Stars’ match against the Utah Royals on Saturday.

Arnold emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in women’s soccer over the past several years. She was named the Westfield W-League Goalkeeper of the Year consecutive seasons in 2013-14, then won it again in 2018 after leading Brisbane to a W-League Premiership victory.

At the international level, Arnold has played for the Australian national team since 2012. She appeared in one game for the Matildas at the 2015 Women’s World Cup (in the group stage against Zimbabwe) and made the roster again this year, where they lost to Norway in the Round of 16.

The Red Stars will hope that Arnold can help them make a strong push to complete the 2019 season. They’re currently third in the NWSL standings with a 7-5-2 record and 23 points. Sam Kerr leads the league in scoring with 11 goals, so maybe some extra goal prevention can push them to another level.