A 13-year-old girl who dreamed of playing professional soccer since she was 8 years old has realized her dream of becoming the youngest player in the history of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to join a professional team.
McKenna Whitham (USA) is a forward who played for the U.S. U-15 women’s national team last year.
Last year’s NWSL Championship winners, NJ/NY Gotham FC, announced on June 26 (local time) that they have signed Whitham to a contract through 2028. The contract will begin on January 1, 2025, making Whitham the youngest player ever to sign a contract in the NWSL,” the club said in a statement.
Whitham, who turns 14 on July 27, joined Gossum FC on an invitational basis during the preseason and trained with the team during the Women’s Cup Colombia in February, where she scored the game-winning goal against Deportivo Cali to lead the team to the final.
The San Francisco native began playing soccer for MVLA Soccer Club, where she rose to prominence in July 2023 when she led the team to a runner-up finish at the U.S. U-13 Championships.
This led to Whissom becoming the youngest player in history to sign a contract with global sports brand Nike across all sports in February.
One day shy of her 14th birthday, Whitham will make her professional debut at the NWSL×Liga MX Summer Cup against the Washington Spirit on June 28th.
“I am so excited to sign with Gossom FC and begin my professional career,” Whitham said on the club’s website, ”and I look forward to continuing to grow with the outstanding players at Gossom FC.” 안전놀이터
