American soccer player (born 2002)
Michelle Ivory Cooper (born December 4, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils , where she won the Hermann Trophy as a senior in 2022. She was the second overall pick of the 2023 NWSL Draft .
Collegiate career
Cooper won the MAC Hermann Trophy [ 4] as the best female soccer player in 2022 while playing for Duke . She led the team with 19 goals and 11 assists. After the 2022 season, she registered for the 2023 NWSL Draft with the intent to end her collegiate career and become a professional soccer player.[ 5]
Club career
Kansas City Current drafted Cooper with the second-overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.[ 6] The Current had traded Lynn Williams to acquire the pick. Cooper signed a three-year contract with the Current on February 2, 2023.[ 7] She scored her first professional goal on May 17, 2023, in a 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup match against Racing Louisville FC .[ 8] On June 18, 2023, she scored the fastest goal from kickoff in NWSL history, in the 22nd second of the Current's match against Washington Spirit .[ 9]
International career
While playing for the USWNT under-20 team , she won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards[ 10] and made the Best XI team[ 11] at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship .
Career statistics
As of match played April 26, 2024.[ 12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club
Season
League
Cup[ a]
Playoffs[ b]
Total
Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Kansas City Current
2023
NWSL
21
3
6
1
—
27
4
2024
3
0
—
—
3
0
Career total
24
3
6
1
0
0
30
4
Honors and awards
United States U20
Individual
References
^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022 – Squad List: USA" (PDF) . FIFA . August 18, 2022. p. 16. Retrieved January 15, 2023 .
^ "#17 Michelle Cooper" . National Women's Soccer League . Retrieved May 17, 2023 .
^ "Michelle Cooper – Soccer" . Retrieved January 14, 2022 .
^ "Hermann Trophy" . Retrieved January 14, 2022 .
^ " 'A gut feeling': Michelle Cooper's big decision leads to Kansas City" . Just Women's Sports . January 13, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023 .
^ "NWSL Draft" . Retrieved January 14, 2022 .
^ Palmer, Tod (February 2, 2023). "Current signs No. 2 overall pick F Michelle Cooper to 3-year deal" . KSHB 41 Kansas City News . Retrieved May 17, 2023 .
^ Sperry, Daniel (May 17, 2023). "Kansas City Current fall to Racing Louisville in NWSL Challenge Cup match on the road" . The Kansas City Star . Yahoo Sports . Retrieved May 17, 2023 .
^ Sperry, Daniel (June 18, 2023). "Kansas City Current squander late lead, lose to Washington Spirit in NWSL home match" . The Kansas City Star .
^ "Cooper earns Best Player, Top Scorer honors at CWU20" (Press release). Concacaf . March 13, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2023 .
^ @ConcacafW (March 15, 2022). "The Concacaf W U-20 Championship Best XI is here" (Tweet ). Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Twitter .
^ "Stats" . National Women's Soccer League . Retrieved May 17, 2023 .
^ "USA Wins Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship With 2-0 Victory Over Mexico" . US Soccer . March 12, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023 .
External links
Player of the Year Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Midfielder of the Year Goalkeeper of the Year