Mckenna Whitham

Mckenna "Mak" Whitham (born July 27, 2010) is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for the United States girls' national under-15 team. She is the youngest person to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike. She began training with NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2024.

Mckenna Whitham
Personal information
Date of birth (2010-07-27) July 27, 2010[1]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Years Team
–2023 MVLA Soccer Club
2023– Slammers FC HB Køge

Early life

Whitham grew up homeschooled in San Francisco, California.[2] She played club soccer for MVLA Soccer Club and then Slammers FC HB Køge of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).[3][4] She led MVLA to the under-13 national final in July 2023, where they finished runners-up to the Slammers.[5][6] 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.[7]

Club career

Whitham was announced as a non-roster invitee for Gotham FC in the preseason on February 13, 2024.[8] She had also trained with the Kansas City Current, the Washington Spirit and MLS Next's Los Angeles FC academy team; she signed with the semi-professional club Santa Clarita Blue Heat of United Women's Soccer (UWS) the previous month.[1][9] She scored a last-minute game winner for Gotham against Deportivo Cali in a preseason tournament in Colombia on February 28, 2024, becoming the youngest person to play or score for an NWSL team.[2][10] She continued training with Gotham during the 2024 season but did not publicly sign a contract with the team.[1] 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] If she signs with Gotham, the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism requires that the contract last through 2028.[1]

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.[11][12]

References
  1. 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. 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. "ECNL Girls Announces Conference Cup Rosters". Elite Clubs National League. July 20, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  4. "USYNT ID Center – Girls 09 Norco". United States Soccer Federation. September 26, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  5. "Game-by-Game Recaps from the 2023 ECNL Girls Finals". SoccerWire. July 20, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. Olorunfemi, Victor (December 27, 2023). "23 Female Players That Dominated 2023". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  7. Gibson, Charlotte (February 16, 2024). "U.S. soccer phenom Whitham, 13, youngest to ink Nike NIL deal". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  8. "Gotham FC Adds Ten Players for Preseason Training". NJ/NY Gotham FC. February 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  9. 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.
  10. Gibson, Charlotte (February 28, 2024). "Whitham, 13, scores preseason game winner for NJ/NY Gotham". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  11. "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.
  12. "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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.