Manchester United ace Phallon Tullis-Joyce insists there is no ‘half-a**ing’ in her pursuit of success on the pitch
PHALLON TULLIS-JOYCE does not “half-a**” anything – whether it is football or adding to her extensive knowledge of marine biology.
This approach has served the clever, quick-witted Manchester United goalkeeper well on and off the pitch.
Growing up on Long Island, New York, in the United States, there was nothing half-arsed about the graft Tullis-Joyce, 28, put in to become one of her country’s most talented shot stoppers.
The Red Devils ace has fond memories of hurdling waste bins as part of training.
An activity practiced under the watchful eye of goalkeeping expert Kurt Kelley, head coach of the Eastern New York Olympic Development Programme.
Training with Kelley from the age of 12, with encouragement from her mother Patricia, instilled a work ethic that helped an athlete, who also trained in basketball, with her rise to the top.
There is no half-arsing in the Tullis-Joyce dictionary. That’s very much a premise of my mother as well.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce
Tullis-Joyce, whose club side face Manchester City at 3:00pm today in the Women’s FA Cup semis, said: “I wasn’t too bad at basketball
“But with goalkeeping, there’s a special feeling when it comes to flying through the air. That’s why that propelled me to stay in soccer.
“I started training with Kurt right from the start when I was 12-years-old.
“At that time, I wasn’t making it into progressive teams, like the regional team or I wasn’t really progressing too much.
“And Kurt was like, ‘You know what, that’s fair. You have a lot of things you need to work on’.
“I was so hurt but he just was able to give me that honest feedback.
“He was the one that was having me jump over trash cans and just on the brink of puking in sessions.
“He really instilled the work ethic of like, ‘if you want this, you got to go for it. There is no half-arsing this’.
“That’s very much a premise of my mother as well. There is no half-arsing in the Tullis-Joyce dictionary.
“Kurt has a facility called KK Athletics Indoor Sports. He would lay out different flags and different trash cans.
“The other goalkeepers there would lie in an army crawl position and I would have to hop over them for the save.
“It definitely taught me to be fearless.
“I’ve had plenty of people in my youth who would say, ‘keep your standards, always keep your standards’. I’m very appreciative of those people.
“My mum has been such a massive proponent of my (football) career and just who I am especially when I’m speaking of academics.
“She put that on a pedestal and rightfully so. You get your education first and then everything else is a bonus.”
Tullis-Joyce describes her football journey from then to now as a “lucky one”.
A journey that involved playing for Miami Hurricanes in the USA’s college football system while studying for bachelor and masters degrees in marine biology subjects at the University of Miami.
It was at the university that Tullis-Joyce continued to hone the skills that have led her second USA international call-up.
After graduation came an April 2019 move to then second tier French side Reims, helping them win promotion to France’s top-flight for the 2019-20 season.
Back then the team was managed by Amandine Miquel, who now coaches Leicester City and sees Tullis-Joyce as one of the best goalkeepers in the WSL.
In April 2021 the American joined US side Seattle Reign, where she was shortlisted for an NWSL shot stopper of the year prize, before joining Man United in September 2023.
Following Mary Earps’s departure for Paris Saint-Germain last July, Tullis-Joyce established herself as the Red Devils’ first choice keeper.
This term she currently tops the WSL’s clean sheet chart with 12 shutouts in 18 top-flight games.
She adds: “I’ve learned so much this season.
“I’m happy to be in this position and grateful for my defenders and the entire team defending in front of me
“They all are a part of that race for the (WSL’s) Golden Gloves.
“I’ve learned so much this season and there’s just so much to gain out of this, especially with my goalkeeper coach and goalkeeper union around me.”
Red Devils boss Marc Skinner said: “Phallon is an incredibly intelligent woman.
“That’s really important because she’s very aware of what’s needed to be Man United’s number one.
“But she will be the first to say the defending team ahead of her has helped that as well.”
Away from the pitch, studying the ocean is something that has always fascinated Tullis-Joyce.
It was always part of my plan to be a marine biologist. I love scuba diving and I don’t just love the ocean. I love the environment in general.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce
The USA shot stopper has even given a talk to Year 7 school pupils on the topic of marine biology as part of Man United’s Eco Reds programme.
She adds: “They invited me to come talk to the children about the ocean.
“Students take part in different lessons revolving around the environment and sustainability.
“I just try to really make it fun for them because at that age, I really just want them to think that it’s cool.
“It was always part of my plan to be a marine biologist. I love scuba diving.
“It’s just such a serene experience where all you’re doing is breathing and looking at cool animals that have adapted to a really hard environment.
“I don’t just love the ocean. I love the environment in general.
“Even seeing little frog eyes pop up and see the reflection of their eyes on the surface of the water and learning now for the first time at 28, the difference between frog spawn and toad spawn.
“It’s just so cool. Toad spawn might as well be like udon noodles, whereas frog spawn is like boba.
“I’ve just been obsessed with telling my teammates.”
This month has seen Tullis-Joyce make her first senior appearance for the USA’s women’s team keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 friendly win against Brazil.
Today will see her face the challenge of attempting to help holders United reach a second successive FA Cup final for the first time in their history.
Her side, who also hope to seal a top three finish for Champions League qualification, will face West Ham, Chelsea and Man City in their final WSL games this term.
As part of her goalkeeping development Tullis-Joyce regularly uses a smart reaction training tool known as BlazePod.
It helps shot stoppers, including keepers playing at an elite level, to integrate cognitive fitness into their practice routines.
And BlazePod does this by using pads with lighting to test goalkeepers’ reaction speeds.
The programme is also used by sports people outside of football including Formula One drivers.
Tullis-Joyce adds: “It’s crazy how simple they are (to use), but how much you can do with them.
“For me, it’s more just that preparation, even for game days to get used to bright lights in a stadium.
“It’s just something that’s constant that I can use so I can always sharpen up my reaction time really quickly.
“With Manchester United I would say the biggest impact BlazePods has had for me is my preparation for training.
“I use them every single day and for game days as well to help with practice for any type of handling and my footwork and peripheral vision.
“It really opens up my senses a bit to be ready for the day.”