Minnesota Aurora Women’s Soccer Team Signs First Trans Athlete

Minnesota Aurora FC has signed its first transgender player, adding former Cal State Fullerton standout goalkeeper Isaac Ranson to the community-owned USL W League, a pre-professional women’s soccer division.

Aurora staffers reached out to Ranson in November as the team looked to extend its streak of four undefeated regular seasons while pursuing its first W League title. The Aurora last reached the league championship in 2022, losing 2-1 to South Georgia Tormenta FC.

The team opens its season with preseason matches on May 9 and May 16 before its regular-season opener against Rochester FC on May 21.

Ranson told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he researched the club before signing and found that its stated values of “creating pathways for women, girls, and gender expansive people to reach their potential, on and off the field” aligned with his own.

“For me, it’s very important to find an inclusive team, community, organization,” the Venture, California native said.

Aurora Club President Saara Hassoun issued a statement supporting Ranson.

“Aurora believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to play soccer, and we are glad that we are able to provide a safe environment for Isaac to continue his stellar career,” she said. “Our players, coaches, and organization are unified in welcoming Isaac to Aurora.”

The United Soccer League — which oversees several men’s and women’s semi-professional and professional leagues — specifies in its W League and men’s League Two rulebook that players may register “only with the gender team with which the player was assigned at birth,” regardless of gender identity.

The USL says its policy aligns with eligibility standards set by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which follows rules established by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Last year, the committee updated its “athlete safety policy” to bar athletes assigned male at birth from competing in female-designated sports.

Ranson acknowledged that the team was taking a risk by signing him, noting that transgender athletes often face backlash from people who oppose their participation in women’s sports. While transgender men have historically received less scrutiny than transgender women, some critics object to the participation of any transgender athlete.

“It can become a topic that is discussed a lot, especially nowadays,” Ranson told the Star Tribune. “I mean, [a team] has got to be ready to lose some fans over it, sadly, but … [the Aurora] have just been very supportive of who I am as a person and a player.”

Ranson first came out as queer during his freshman year of college, when he redshirted and gained an additional year of eligibility. He later socially transitioned, adopting the name Isaac and male pronouns. By the 2024 season, he was fully out as transgender and remained eligible to compete under NCAA rules allowing trans and nonbinary athletes assigned female at birth to play on women’s teams if they had not begun hormone therapy.

Ranson said the Titans supported his transition, with coaches making an effort to refer to players as “athletes” rather than simply “women.” When he recorded his 31st career shutout and broke the school’s record, the team posted video of his teammates swarming him in celebration, referring to him in the caption as the “shutout king.”

“I definitely feel safe to be myself in women’s sports,” Ranson told the Star Tribune. “Although I don’t identify as a woman, I still feel included.”