Croix Bethune

Midfielder

HOMETOWN: Alpharetta, Georgia, USA

HEIGHT: 5'3"

Croix Bethune joined the Kansas City Current in February 2026 via a trade with the Washington Spirit. Bethune, the 2024 NWSL Midfielder of the Year and Rookie of the Year, won gold with the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Bethune earned her first USWNT call-up in May/June 2024 and was selected as an alternate for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team shortly after. She was named to the matchday roster for three of the USA’s group stage matches in the Olympic Games, subbing in during the 79th minute against Australia on July 31, 2024, to be eligible for the gold medal the USWNT won. Bethune’s USWNT debut came on July 13, 2024, in a friendly against Mexico in the buildup to the Olympics, and she scored her first USWNT goal last month in a 5-0 win over Chile on Jan. 27. She also had a decorated youth national team career, winning the 2016 Concacaf U-15 Championship and 2017 Concacaf U-17 Championship while playing in the 2018 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The third overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft to the Washington Spirit, Bethune put together one of the most decorated rookie seasons in league history. She tallied five goals and 10 assists – tying the NWSL’s single season assists record – in 17 regular season matches before suffering a season-ending injury. The four-time NWSL Rookie of the Month and three-time NWSL Best XI of the Month selection went on to be the league’s 2024 Rookie of the Year and collect Best XI First Team honors. She also won the inaugural NWSL Midfielder of the Year award. She returned to the pitch post-injury on April 26, 2025, finishing the season with two goals and two assists in 20 regular season games for the Spirit and helped them to their second straight championship final. She was tabbed to the 2025 NWSL Best XI Second Team.

Collegiately, Bethune was a standout at USC from 2019-22 where she totaled 26 goals and 23 assists in 50 appearances. Following an injury her freshman season, she garnered three consecutive First Team All-Pac 12 honors and was named the Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year in 2021 and 2022. She received back-to-back First Team All-America recognition as a junior and senior, the same seasons she was chosen as a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy. She then played her graduate season at Georgia in 2023, totaling four goals and five assists in 15 games en route to earning Second Team All-SEC and Second Team All-America honors. She was also the 2023 SEC Tournament MVP for leading the Bulldogs to their first conference title.