14-year-old McKenna Whitham youngest player ever in American top-flight soccer

McKenna Whitham on Sunday became the youngest player to make her debut in a men’s or women’s first division soccer match in the United States, making history one day after her 14th birthday.

Whitham entered the match for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the 80th minute, replacing Katie Stengel in a 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit in their NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup match at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Though Whitham only saw 17 minutes on the pitch, her offensive prowess was evident. She pressured the Spirit’s defensive line whenever she was on the pitch and was quick on her feet.

Two days earlier, Gotham announced that they had signed Whitham as a replacement player for the national team for the current Olympic window. The club also announced that they had signed Whitham on a historic four-year deal that will begin on January 1.

The California native, who is moving to New Jersey with her family, is believed to be the youngest player to play in a North American professional sports league since the 1970s, according to Elias Sports Bureau. That includes debuts in the NBA, WNBA, NFL and NHL.

“She’s not only the youngest player to ever play in the league, but she’s also the youngest for us on the roster, and that’s what we really care about,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said. “We’ve clearly identified Mak as a special talent. It’s going to take some time to reach her potential, but, from herself, to the team, what they’re doing to help her, what she’s doing to adapt to it… I think it’s gotten us to this part of the journey.”

She signed her first professional contract, just celebrated her 14th birthday and made her @NWSL debut in the same week?!

We’re so glad you’re here, Mak Whitham!! 🖤 photo.twitter.com/wMtujDO3zj

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) July 28, 2024

Gotham goalie Cassie Miller echoed Amoros’ sentiments after the game, saying Whitham has become an indispensable part of the team since joining in February.

“She’s trained with us in the group and worked hard, just like any of us,” Miller said. “I think the excitement (we have) for her is unbelievable. Like, I remember being 14 and being able to do this — kudos to her, because I definitely wasn’t ready for it.”

At 14 years and 1 day, Whitham is almost a year younger than the Philadelphia Union’s Cavan Sullivan, who 11 days ago became the youngest player to make his Major League Soccer debut, breaking a record long held by former U.S. international Freddy Adu. Sullivan also broke that record at Subaru Park.

Sullivan made his debut on July 17 against the New England Revolution at the age of 14 years, 293 days. Adu was 14 years, 306 days old when he made his D.C. United debut against the San Jose Earthquakes in April 2004.

Whitham, who goes by Mak, has been with Gotham since February. She first joined the NWSL club as a non-roster invitee for this year’s preseason. She has remained a steady and consistent presence with the team, cheering them on from the stands at games and training with the squad regularly.

She first played in a pre-season match for Gotham at the Women’s Cup in Colombia in February. Whitham was 13 at the time and scored her first goal in a professional setting after coming on for captain Kelley O’Hara against Deportivo Cali. Whitham’s winning goal propelled Gotham into the final of the tournament, which Gotham went on to win.

Never give up, never anything?

McKenna Whitham puts us on the scoreboard. 😌#TheWomen’sCup | 1-0 photo.twitter.com/Pt6eBqXKaP

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) February 27, 2024

“It’s just been spectacular,” Whitham said The Athletics after her pre-season debut. “I’ve always played at a high level, so I’m just motivated to be the best and give it 100%, and I mean, just because they’re older, it doesn’t scare me.”

GO DEEPER

Meet McKenna Whitham, Gotham FC’s 13-year-old intern

While Whitham has been compared by many to Sullivan and others in the MLS or lower divisions of men’s soccer, the reality is that until recently, girls simply have not had the same opportunities to play at the highest levels of professional soccer in the U.S. as boys.

Several teenagers have made their NWSL debuts in recent years, including the San Diego Wave’s Melanie Barcenas, who made her debut for the club last year at 15 years and 181 days old. Also on the court Sunday was Chloe Ricketts, now 17, who was previously believed to be the youngest NWSL player ever, signing with a team last March.

The NWSL, founded in 2012, initially banned underage players from participating. That changed two years ago when the league introduced the U-18 Entry Mechanism, which allows each team to sign four underage players as long as they adhere to a strict set of guidelines. That’s why, for example, every contract signed by an underage player rolls over into the season in which he turns 18.

The mechanism’s introduction was a byproduct of young Olivia Moultrie’s decision in 2021 to launch a legal battle with the NWSL for her right to play. Though Moultrie turned pro at age 13 and signed a nine-year endorsement deal with Nike in 2019, she was unable to sign with an NWSL club until age 15, two weeks after a judge barred the NWSL from enforcing its long-held age rule.

Moultrie’s lawsuit paved the way for younger players. (Photo by Soobum Im, Getty Images)

Gotham’s Yazmeen Ryan, who scored the decisive penalty against Spirit, was at Portland Thorns when Moultrie signed that contract.

“It’s really cool to see, since I’ve been in the league, that now two players have been able to do this,” Ryan said. “They’re special talents, and so they deserve to be here and they’ve worked so hard. Mak comes in and tries every day. … She’s just kind of come in seamlessly, and her hard work shows that and why she signed and why she’s here.”

Moultrie’s antitrust lawsuit paved the way for the youth movement we see in American women’s soccer today. For Gotham, Whitham is the first player the club has signed using the U-18 registration mechanism.

According to Gotham, the rules are constantly evolving and have recently been expanded to include additional provisions on medical evaluations of children, facilities and safety assessments, in an effort to ensure the long-term development of minors.

“(The) NWSL in general is evolving to accommodate and help develop younger players,” Yael Averbuch West, the club’s general manager and head of football operations, told The Athletics on Thursday. “We are looking, as a league, and especially at our club in Gotham, at how we create a truly professional player pathway.

“It’s a big focus,” she continued. “It’s not just about winning this year in the NWSL, which is one of our focuses, but it’s also about how we prepare for the future and how we identify and develop players who are ready to represent our club.”

(Photo courtesy of NJ/NY Gotham FC)