Four-Person Committee of Former USWNT Players to Select SheBelieves Hero Finalists

A committee of four former U.S. Women’s National Team players will select the five finalists for the 2020 SheBelieves Hero™ contest, with fans voting on the winner the week of Feb. 10-16. The SheBelieves Hero™ Selection Committee is composed of Nicole Barnhart, Cindy Parlow-Cone, Heather O’Reilly, and Lindsay Tarpley.

The fourth annual SheBelieves Hero™ contest, which runs until Monday, Feb. 17, will select a young person between the ages of 13-17 who embodies the SheBelieves spirit. A SheBelieves Hero™ is a leader in their community, a confident and passionate individual who empowers others around them and works to make a positive difference in the world. 

The 2020 SheBelieves Hero™ will win a trip for two (2) to the WNT’s SheBelieves Cup match in Harrison, NJ, on March 8 when the USA takes on Spain.

SheBelieves Hero^TM Selection Committee

Nicole Barnhart
The Pennsylvania native is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Barnhart played 53 times in goal for the USA, but amazingly made her debut on the field in 2004 as a forward when the USA ran out of substitutes and she came in as a sub in the last game of the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour. Still one of the top goalkeepers in the NWSL, she is currently playing for the Utah Royals FC and runs Nicole Barnhart Goalkeeping.

Cindy Parlow-Cone
U.S. Soccer’s current Vice President, Parlow-Cone was inducted as a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2018 after a prestigious career as a player and coach. Her impressive career began as a star forward with the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1996-2004. She went on to become a title-winning coach at the grassroots, collegiate and professional levels. During the past 20 years, she has also served on U.S. Soccer’s Referee Committee, Medical Advisory Committee, Appeals Committee and the Athletes’ Council as well as more recently with U.S. Soccer’s Youth Task Force.

Heather O’Reilly
O’Reilly competed for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 2002-16, enjoying a decorated international career that began when she was in high school. In nearly 15 years with the USWNT, O’Reilly suited up 231 times and scored 47 goals with 55 assists. She won three Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012) and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup title. Currently with the NWSL’s NC Courage, she has also played professionally in England and in earlier pro women’s leagues in the USA. She recently served as a studio analyst for FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.

Lindsay Tarpley
A member of the U.S. Youth National Teams from U-14 through U-19, it was Tarpley’s historic “Golden Goal” that won the inaugural 2002 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup, the first FIFA event held at that age level. Tarpley went on to score 32 goals in 125 games for the USWNT including one in the quarterfinal of the 2008 Olympic Games. She also scored against Brazil in the 2004 Olympic Final in Athens, Greece, helping the USA to the gold medal. Tarpley is currently a Vice Chair of the U.S. Soccer Athlete’s Council.

Conceived and developed by U.S. Soccer and the Women’s National Team players, SheBelieves is a movement created to inspire and encourage girls and women of all ages to accomplish their goals and dreams, athletic or otherwise. The campaign was originally launched in the run-up to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup but has since evolved into a special bond between the team and its fans, taking its powerful message of empowerment and that of believing in yourself into communities across the nation.