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.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 27, 2010[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 | 4 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editWhitham grew up homeschooled in San Francisco, California.[3] Her father, Josh, was an alternate for the United States Ski Team at the 1998 Winter Olympics while in high school.[4] Whitham played club soccer for MVLA Soccer Club and then Slammers FC HB Køge of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).[5][6] She led MVLA to the under-13 national final in July 2023, where they finished runners-up to the Slammers.[7][8] 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.[9]
Club career
editWhitham was announced as a non-roster invitee for Gotham FC in the 2024 preseason on February 13.[10] 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][11] 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.[3][12] 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.[4] 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.[13]
International career
editWhitham was called into camp with the United States national under-15 team at the end of 2023.[14] The next year, she helped the team win the 2024 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship, scoring their second goal in a 3–0 win over Mexico in the final.[15]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Diamond, Drew (August 5, 2024). "How young is too young? The ethical dilemma of child athletes in pro sports". Her Football Hub. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Kassouf, Jeff (July 26, 2024). "Gotham signs Whitham, 13, youngest in NWSL". ESPN. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "ECNL Girls Announces Conference Cup Rosters". Elite Clubs National League. July 20, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ "USYNT ID Center – Girls 09 Norco". United States Soccer Federation. September 26, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ "Game-by-Game Recaps from the 2023 ECNL Girls Finals". SoccerWire. July 20, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Olorunfemi, Victor (December 27, 2023). "23 Female Players That Dominated 2023". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Gibson, Charlotte (February 16, 2024). "U.S. soccer phenom Whitham, 13, youngest to ink Nike NIL deal". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "Gotham FC Adds Ten Players for Preseason Training". NJ/NY Gotham FC. February 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ 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. - ^ Gibson, Charlotte (February 28, 2024). "Whitham, 13, scores preseason game winner for NJ/NY Gotham". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "U.S. U15 GNT Wins Concacaf Championship". TopDrawerSoccer. August 13, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
External links
edit- Mckenna Whitham at Soccerway.com
- Mckenna Whitham at TopDrawerSoccer
- Mckenna Whitham on Instagram
