There are several Americans currently playing abroad in the 2025-26 UEFA Women’s Champions League, but only one of them is having a lights-out performance. Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce has two clean sheets through two rounds of league phase play and is the only keeper with two shutouts in the tournament, and she is on five straight clean sheets going back to qualifiers.
Her performances for Manchester United are an early glimpse of a goalkeeper’s ability to manage games and change the club’s trajectory toward success. Her opening day clean sheet against UWCL debutants Valerenga might have fallen under the radar against huge scorelines in other matches, but her matchday two shutout was a clear example of resilience under pressure away from home.
After Manchester United fell to ten players following a red card to defender Dominique Jenssen, the goalkeeper pulled off all the moves to keep things level ahead of halftime following a dangerous set piece by Atletico Madrid.
Big games with bigger statements
Tullis-Joyce, from New York City and having played at the University of Miami, is a goalkeeping example of a modern prototype. Yes, she is tall and the wingspan to match, but this isn’t just about putting the tallest player in the goal.
It’s not that she possesses some sort of cat-like agility to make saves. No, she’s a kraken, utilizing her towering presence to cover the goalmouth with clinical efficiency, and terrorizing attackers by whirlpooling their powerful shots into an abyss of a failed attempt. Her command over the box is stark and one that eliminates dangerous crosses and almost dares opponents to try their luck on goal.
In a match where Manchester United operated down a player for nearly an hour, it was more than a result; it was a statement. Atletico Madrid cranked up the effort in the second half and forced the WSL side into uncomfortable defensive positions, all while peppering the goal. But no matter the shot, the 28-year-old’s situational awareness and quick reactions were on full display.
There was more effort over the remainder of the game, as Atletico Madrid outshot Manchester United with more attempts on target, and Tullis-Joyce provided six saves. Atleti had 18 shots to United’s 10.
This is not a keeper who simply makes the save, however. She aids her backline as a calming force and is on her way to becoming a clean sheet merchant. Year over year, she’s building her reputation, not on flash, but on confidence.
The Manchester United player has been with the club since 2023 and has rapidly become a face of the club and a foundation piece. They are back in the Champions League for the second time, after missing out last season. They’re hopeful to have a better showing than their campaign during the 2023-24 season, where they were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the second qualifying round.
New format can be a fresh start
However, the new Champions League format is already showing that the pivot to the Swiss model is a worthy shift for the tournament. There have been surprises with closely contested draws, stunning goals, and even massive scorelines. There were 39 goals scored across matchday one alone.
The unique league phase draw has pitted teams in a single table format, and it could be one that favors Manchester United down the stretch. Of the “big four” considered contenders in FC Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, Arsenal, and Chelsea FC, Manchester United have only one head-to-head against Lyon. They do not face the French giants until December.
Having a six-foot keeper controlling things in goal is also a huge upside. Now, Tullis-Joyce will take back-to-back Champions League victories into the next U.S. women’s national team training camps. The player was one of three goalkeepers selected for the upcoming October international window.
Performances worthy of international praise
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has been vocal about squad rotation in the buildup toward the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The manager views the remainder of the year as an opportunity to narrow the pool to focus on qualifiers next November. She had praise for Tullis-Joyce ahead of the squad’s time together.
“I think you can see the consistency of the selection in the three goalkeepers we’ve brought in. We’re starting to get that. There’s consistency in that. I think Phallon and her experiences in England have really taken her game up a notch, like I really notice she’s playing with a player that has gone through the various levels. There was things she absolutely had to work on post Seattle, that I think she’s gone to England and started to add,” Hayes told media after the roster selection.
There’s been an increased spotlight on the starting goalkeeper position since the retirement of former USWNT No. 1 Alyssa Naeher. The upcoming frieldies will also serve as retirement celebrations for Naeher and Alex Morgan. There’s been a fairly equal mix of rotation for minutes between Tullis-Joyce, Claudia Dickey, and Mandy McGlynn, though the Manchester United player had stood out over others in matches against Brazil, China, and Jamaica.
“I’ve said this, like, a lot of times, if you think about when Alyssa Naeher became the U.S. national team number one goalkeeper, it takes a while. But I would also say within that, Phallon is one type of goalkeeper, Claudia [Dickey] is another type of goalkeeper, who I think is also bringing a consistent level of play. I think the difference between them is that one’s more experienced than one has lived more experienced situations, not just Champions League, FA Cup finals, maybe various club moves.
“But I do think the pool that we are bringing in this camp, that we think that those three are ahead. I think Phallon is ahead at this moment in time, from an experience perspective, but I do expect that I will be providing opportunities for at least two of them in this camp.”
What’s next
Manchester United will next return to the WSL season in November. They’ll face Brighton Hove & Albion away on Nov. 2 before returning to Champions League play against Paris Saint-Germain on Nov. 12. Phallon Tullis-Joyce will join the USWNT for friendlies against Portugal and New Zealand on Oct. 23, Oct. 26, and Oct. 29.
You can watch UWCL action on Paramount+.
