Mckenna Whitham

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Not to be confused with Mae Whitman.

Mckenna Whitham
Personal information
Date of birth (2010-07-27) July 27, 2010 (age 14)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 NJ/NY Gotham FC
Number 31
Youth career
–2023 MVLA Soccer Club
2023– Slammers FC HB Køge
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– NJ/NY Gotham FC 0 (0)
International career
2024– United States U15
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mckenna "Mak" Whitham (born July 27, 2010) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She signed with Gotham at the age of 13 in 2024, becoming the youngest player in NWSL history.

Early life

Whitham grew up homeschooled in San Francisco, California.[2] Her father, Josh, was an alternate for the United States Ski Team at the 1998 Winter Olympics while in high school.[3] Whitham played club soccer for MVLA Soccer Club and then Slammers FC HB Køge of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).[4][5] She led MVLA to the under-13 national final in July 2023, where they finished runners-up to the Slammers.[6][7] She signed a name, image, and likeness contract with Nike in February 2024 at age 13, becoming the youngest athlete in any sport to sign with the company.[8]

Club career

Whitham was announced as a non-roster invitee for Gotham FC in the 2024 preseason on February 13.[9] She had also trained with the Kansas City Current, the Washington Spirit and MLS Next's Los Angeles FC academy team; the previous month she signed with the semi-professional club Santa Clarita Blue Heat of United Women's Soccer (UWS).[1][10] She appeared in a preseason exhibition game in Colombia on February 28, 2024, and scored a last-minute winning goal against Deportivo Cali, becoming the youngest person to play or score for an NWSL team.[2][11] Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West said Whitham "is clearly very ready, not just to handle this level, but to excel in our sessions".[1]

Gotham announced on July 26, 2024, that they had signed Whitham to an under-18 contract lasting from the start of 2025 to 2028 in addition to a short-term national team replacement contract during the ongoing Paris Olympics. She was signed one day before her 14th birthday, becoming the youngest player in NWSL history.[3] She debuted for the team two days later as an 80th-minute substitute for Katie Stengel in a Summer Cup group stage match against the Washington Spirit on July 28, logging 17 minutes.[12]

International career

After trying out for the national under-14 team in February 2023, Whitham was called up to the national under-15 team in October 2023.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Anzidei, Melanie (April 11, 2024). "Gotham FC's 13-year-old trainee Mak Whitham is scoring goals and readying to go pro". The Athletic. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Ingemi, Marisa (March 11, 2024). "13 years old with a Nike deal and NWSL goal: S.F. teen's fast track to pro soccer". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Kassouf, Jeff (July 26, 2024). "Gotham signs Whitham, 13, youngest in NWSL". ESPN. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "ECNL Girls Announces Conference Cup Rosters". Elite Clubs National League. July 20, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  5. ^ "USYNT ID Center – Girls 09 Norco". United States Soccer Federation. September 26, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  6. ^ "Game-by-Game Recaps from the 2023 ECNL Girls Finals". SoccerWire. July 20, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Olorunfemi, Victor (December 27, 2023). "23 Female Players That Dominated 2023". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Gibson, Charlotte (February 16, 2024). "U.S. soccer phenom Whitham, 13, youngest to ink Nike NIL deal". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Gotham FC Adds Ten Players for Preseason Training". NJ/NY Gotham FC. February 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  10. ^ Baxter, Kevin (February 20, 2024). "Olivia Moultrie's fight for the right to play kicked off a U.S. soccer youth movement". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
    Santa Clarita Blue Heat [@scblueheatfc] (January 3, 2024). "Let me introduce ..." Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Instagram.
  11. ^ Gibson, Charlotte (February 28, 2024). "Whitham, 13, scores preseason game winner for NJ/NY Gotham". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Anzidei, Melanie (July 28, 2024). "McKenna Whitham, 14, becomes youngest to appear in top-level American soccer with NWSL debut". The Athletic. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  13. ^ "Eighty Players Set for U-14 Girls' West Region Talent Identification Mini-Camp in Southern California". United States Soccer Federation. February 23, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  14. ^ "U.S. Under-15 Women's Youth National Team Heads to Training Camp in Portland, Ore". United States Soccer Federation. October 6, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
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