“We do a lot of work back there that goes unnoticed,” boldly remarked Naomi Girma after securing a runner-up place in the 2024 ESPN FC Top 50 Women’s Soccer Players ranking. Consider it a subtle jab from the American defender at the Ballon d’Or after being left off the nomination list. But beyond that, her words shed light on a bigger issue that often gets overlooked—the brilliance of defenders, who don’t rack up goals but instead shape victories with perfectly timed tackles. Despite being an underappreciated skill to this day, Seth Meyers was bold enough to call out the imbalance, though it came at the cost of sparking an on-air debate between Emily Sonnett and Midge Purce.

To set the scene, both USWNT stars made a guest appearance on the latest episode of The Late Night with Seth Meyers. During the brief chat, the American television host confirmed the players and their respective positions on the field. Hearing the responses, Meyers questioned which post is more difficult to master, to which Midge Purce quickly replied, “Forward is harder.”

Though the host acknowledged the forward’s claim, he did make an interesting observation, saying, “First of all, I would say, I always feel bad for defenders because anytime there’s a goal, the goalie always points to the defender as if it’s their fault. You know what I mean? The minute there’s a goal, they’re like…[makes questioning gesture]”

This saw Emily Sonnett break her silence as well, agreeing with the American comedian to add, “Yeah, I mean, you could be playing the best game of your life, but that one moment…your fault. The stakes are higher…” It almost felt like a symphony of shared frustration, as Meyers chimed in, pointing out how goalkeepers often shift blame by saying, “This would never have happened if they [had defended well]…”

Hilariously, Meyers urged defenders that the next time a goalkeeper tries to pin the blame on them, they should simply point at the keeper’s hands and say, “You should have used these.” That only encouraged Sonnett to open up further, noting that with today’s forwards becoming increasingly dynamic and fast, it’s getting harder for defenders to keep up.

Then again, upon hearing this, Purce clarified her statement, insisting that forwards are “more volatile as people, as personalities,” which makes it harder for them to remain consistent when it comes to scoring opportunities. This led Meyers to bring up another point—that forwards rely on their team to feed them the ball in order to create chances. However, Purce, as enigmatic as ever, called herself an exception.

Describing herself as a “hyper-independent woman,” she admitted to struggling at times—but made it clear to her teammates that it’s never her fault. Hysterically, Seth Meyers chimed in, joking that he’s often seen forwards blaming their back line for delivering perfectly good passes, simply because they weren’t placed exactly at their feet. To that, Purce cheekily replied, “Yeah. That’s more men’s, Seth,” leaving the entire studio in splits.

Indeed, quite an interesting conversation between Emily Sonnett and Midge Purce that even Seth Meyers would have also enjoyed. Speaking of which, this, of course, isn’t the first time Purce has passionately spoken up in defense of the position she plays!

Not the first Midge Purce advocated for her soccer role!

Last month, an episode of Just Women’s Sports’ “Sports Are Fun!” podcast was hosted live at Fanatics Fest. During the segment, co-host and former USWNT defender Kelley O’Hara invited Midge Purce to join. What began as a casual conversation quickly turned entertaining when the Gotham forward remarked, “When you’re a forward, life is very like [ups and down gesture].”

O’Hara, clearly in disbelief, fired back with a playful jab, saying that a defender’s life is just a straight line. But Purce wasn’t backing down, responding, “Forwards naturally dip more, and defenders have to be more stable.” To that, O’Hara quickly quipped, “Lucky you, ‘cause a forward can play 90 minutes of bad soccer, then one minute of good soccer and be the hero.”

Eventually, both O’Hara and Purce agreed with each other, acknowledging that both positions come with their own challenges. Regardless, what are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.