Francesca Claire Tagliaferri (born January 18, 1999) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who most recently played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for the

Utah Royals The Utah Royals (formerly Utah Royals FC) are an American professional soccer team based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established on November 16, 2017, as an expansion team, ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL).

College career

Tagliaferri played her first three years of

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

soccer at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

, scoring 22 goals overall and earning second-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in her last season. In her overall final season of Division I soccer at

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

, she scored 13 goals and registered 9 assists, earning her

First Team honors and being named 2021

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

Midfielder of the Year.

Club career

North Carolina Courage

Tagliaferri was signed by the

North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acqui ...

of the

NWSL The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

prior to the 2022 season. She made her first professional start on June 30 against

OL Reign Seattle Reign FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since J ...

Utah Royals

On November 23, 2023,

announced that Tagliaferri had been acquired by the club ahead of their return to the NWSL for the 2024 season. On October 10, 2024, Utah Royals announced that they had parted ways with Tagliaferri.

International career

Tagliaferri received call-ups to the United States under-17 Women's National Team for both the

2013 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship The 2013 CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Championship is the fourth edition of the CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, U-17 women's championship in association football, football for the CONCACAF region. The tournament was hosted by Jamaica from 30 Octo ...

and the

2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the biennial international Women's association football, women's youth association football, football championship contested by the under-17 national t ...

, scoring twice during the latter tournament.

References

External links

* 1999 births Living people American women's soccer players Colts Neck High School alumni Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer players Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's soccer players National Women's Soccer League players North Carolina Courage players Sportspeople from Colts Neck Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Red Bank, New Jersey Soccer players from Monmouth County, New Jersey Utah Royals players Women's association football midfielders United States women's youth international soccer players 21st-century American sportswomen {{US-women-footy-midfielder-stub