Jessica Marie McDonald (born February 28, 1988) is an American professional soccer player for

Racing Louisville FC Racing Louisville Football Club is a National Women's Soccer League team based in Louisville, Kentucky. It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC, which also owns Louisville City FC of the USL Cham ...

of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning four Women's World Cup titles ( 1991, 1999, 2015, an ...

. She previously played for the Australian W-League teams

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victor ...

and

Western United Western United Football Club is an Australian professional football club. The club is based in the western Melbourne suburb of Truganina, the club aims to represent western Victoria, incorporating the western suburbs of Melbourne; the region ...

as well as the

Western New York Flash The Western New York Flash (WNY Flash) was an American soccer club based in Elma, New York that competed in the United Women's Soccer league. They have won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-League in 2010, Women's Pro ...

Chicago Red Stars The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...

Seattle Reign FC OL Reign is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In 2020, ...

Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which receives support from the Uni ...

Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC. History Establishment On November ...

, and

North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York ...

. McDonald became a World Cup champion in 2019, with the United States team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Early life

Born in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, McDonald is the daughter of Traci McDonald and Vince Myers. Her brother, Brandon McDonald, is also a professional soccer player who plays in Major League Soccer. She attended Cactus High School in Glendale, Arizona where she played basketball all four years and ran track during her junior and senior years. In 2004 and 2006, she was a member of state championship basketball teams and was a first-team all-state and all-region selection. She was also a state champion and record holder in the 400 meters during her track and field career. She graduated Cactus High School as the school's record holder for the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, and 4 × 400 meter relay team. McDonald was a member of the Sereno Soccer club from 2000 to 2007 and helped the team win state championships each year she played for it. She helped lead Sereno to regional championships in 2003 and 2007 and played on the Surf Cup title-winning teams in 2005 and 2006. She was the MVP of the tournament in 2006.

Phoenix College

McDonald attended

Phoenix College Phoenix College (PC) is a public community college in Encanto, Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country. History The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union High School and Juni ...

during her freshman and sophomore year of college where she played soccer, basketball and track and was a member of the honors program. She was named a first-team junior college All-America in soccer and National Junior College Player of the Year. McDonald earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors and was the single-season record holder at Phoenix College for goals and assists. Also continuing to excel at basketball, McDonald earned first-team all-region and all-conference honors and was the country's number one rebounder in junior college and among the Top 30 in scoring.

North Carolina Tar Heels

After transferring to the

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

during her sophomore year, McDonald joined the North Carolina Tar Heels soccer team during the first half of the 2008 season and helped the squad ultimately win the national championship as a starting striker. McDonald scored 5 goals and had 10 assists for 20 points during the season. Despite playing in only 75 percent of the team's games her first year, she led the squad in assists.

Club career

Chicago Red Stars, 2010

In 2010, McDonald was the second pick (fifteenth overall) by the

in the

2010 WPS Draft The 2010 WPS College Draft took place on January 15, 2010. It was the second college draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams. Format Following the season, the team suspended league operations in December 2010 and re-established themselves in the WPSL.

Melbourne Victory FC, 2012–13

McDonald signed with the

Melbourne Victory FC Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

in Australia's W-League (now known as A-League Women) for the 2012–13 season. She started all 13 of her appearances for the squad, scoring seven goals, and helped the squad to the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

match against Sydney FC.

Chicago Red Stars and Seattle Reign FC, 2013

In 2013, McDonald signed with the

as a free agent for the inaugural season of the NWSL. During the pre-season, she scored four goals in the second half of a match against St. Edwards University. She made nine appearances for the Red Stars during the regular season, serving one assist, before being waived by the team in June 2013. On June 28, 2013, it was announced that McDonald had signed with the

after being waived by the Red Stars. She scored her first goal during her debut appearance for the club in a match against the

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...

on July 3, 2013. Two games later, during the team's first televised match on

Fox Soccer Fox Soccer (formerly Fox Soccer Channel & Fox Sports World before that) was an American television specialty channel specializing in soccer, owned by Fox Corporation, which operated from 1997 to 2013. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australi ...

, she scored a brace against the

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit is an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that participates in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the W-League and cont ...

leading the Reign to a 2–1 win. McDonald finished the 2013 season with six starts in seven matches played, tallying a total of 439 minutes played. Her three goals ranked third on the squad for most goals scored – tied with teammates,

Christine Nairn Christine Marie Nairn (born September 25, 1990) is an American retired soccer player from Annapolis, Maryland. She previously played for the Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit and Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL and has had regular lo ...

and

Kaylyn Kyle Kaylyn McKenzie Kyle (born October 6, 1988) is a former Canadian soccer player who last played as a midfielder for the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League. She was also a member of Canada women's national soccer team, winning a ...

Portland Thorns, 2014

McDonald was traded to the Portland Thorns along with defender

Rebecca Moros Rebecca Ann Moros (born May 6, 1985) is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach for University of Arizona women's soccer team. A defender during her playing career, Moros played for the Utah Royals, Houston ...

in late 2013 under head coach Cindy Parlow Cone, in exchange for Danielle Foxhoven. McDonald was a starting forward for the first eleven games of the 2014 season, then mostly relegated to a substitute position as

Alex Morgan Alexandra Morgan Carrasco (born Alexandra Patricia Morgan; July 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker and captains for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division o ...

returned from an injury. The team-leading scorer for the Thorns in 2014, McDonald had eleven goals, including a July 17 goal 33 seconds in against Chicago: the fastest goal in NWSL history. This would be her only season in Portland, where she played as number 14 for a total of 1310 minutes in 24 regular-season games under head coach Paul Riley.

Houston Dash, 2015

Jessica McDonald (20432381884) (cropped)

On January 16, 2015, McDonald was traded by the Thorns to the

for the 13th pick in the

2015 NWSL College Draft The 2015 NWSL College Draft was the third annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 16, 2015 at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, PA. Format *Draft order wa ...

and a second round selection in the

2016 NWSL College Draft Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film d ...

. McDonald led the Dash's inaugural season in goals with seven during the 2016 season. She scored the game-winning goal during the team's 1–0 win over her former team the Portland Thorns in May. The Dash finished in fifth place during the regular season with a record.

Western New York Flash, 2016

In January 2016, the Western New York Flash acquired McDonald in a trade that sent two international spots and one 2017 draft pick to Houston. Named Player of the Week for week 10 and to the Second XI list, McDonald finished third in the NWSL overall in goals scored (10), assists(7) shots (61), and second overall in shots on goal (34) for the 2016 season, McDonald earned her first senior team call-up for the USWNT.

North Carolina Courage, 2017–2021

It was announced on January 9, 2017, that the Western New York Flash was officially sold to new ownership, moved to North Carolina, and rebranded as the

. In May 2017, McDonald became the first NWSL player to score 33 regular-season, career goals. She scored 4 goals in 2017, helping North Carolina win the NWSL Shield. In 2018 McDonald played in 23 regular season games, scoring 7 goals. North Carolina broke the record for most goals scored in a season with 53. In the Semi-final McDonald scored in the 5th minute, which was the fastest goal in playoff history. North Carolina won 2–0 and advanced to their second straight final. McDonald scored twice in the NWSL Championship game as the Courage defeated the Portland Thorns 3–0. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Match. This is McDonald's second NWSL Championship.

Racing Louisville, 2022–

On December 17, 2021, shortly before the NWSL draft, Racing Louisville acquired McDonald's playing rights in a three-way trade with the Courage and

Angel City FC Angel City Football Club is a National Women's Soccer League expansion team that began play in 2022. The team is based in Los Angeles, California, and was announced on July 21, 2020. The team has many high-profile owners, including Becky G, Natal ...

. Racing sent Savannah McCaskill to Angel City in exchange for the sixth overall pick in the draft plus $25,000 in allocation money, and then traded the pick to the Courage for McDonald. McDonald signed a two-year contract with Racing on January 28, 2022. She scored her first goal for Racing in a 3–2 loss to the Houston Dash in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Loan to Western United

In October 2022, McDonald was loaned to Australian A-League Women club

on a three-month guest contract for the start of their inaugural season. She made her debut and scored the club's first goal in a 1–0 victory over reigning champions

in the first round of the season.

International career

McDonald has represented the United States on several youth national teams including the under-16, under-17, under-20, under-23, and the senior national team squads. In 2007,

Jill Ellis Jillian Anne Ellis (born 6 September 1966) is an English-American soccer coach and executive who is currently the president of San Diego Wave FC. Ellis coached the United States women's national soccer team from 2014 to October 2019 and won two ...

named her to the U-20 roster for the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

in Brazil. The team won silver after being defeated by Brazil's senior national team 5–0 during the final.

2016 – 2018

She earned her first call up to the senior national team on November 2, 2016, and made her international debut on November 10 against Romania. She was then named to the roster for the

2017 SheBelieves Cup The 2017 SheBelieves Cup was the second edition of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational women's soccer tournament held in the United States. It took place between March 1 and 7, 2017. The four teams were ranked No. 1, 2, 3 and 5 in the FIFA Wome ...

that took place from March 1–7, but she did not appear in any of her teams matches. She was not named to the teams following camp for friendlies against Russia in April. Following a strong 2018 NWSL season, McDonald was called up to the team in November 2018 for the abroad friendlies vs Portugal and Scotland. She started vs Portugal in Lisbon on November 8, and scored her first international goal, which happened to be the game winner. The 1–0 win gave the senior national team their 500th recorded victory in program history. She appeared as a substitute days later on November 13 in the teams match vs Scotland in Paisley.

2019

In January 2019, McDonald was included in the teams training camp that took place abroad in Algarve, Portugal. She then traveled with the team to France and Spain for two friendlies that took place on January 19 and 22, where she appeared in both matches as a substitute. She was then selected in the teams roster for the

2019 SheBelieves Cup The 2019 SheBelieves Cup was the fourth edition of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational women's soccer tournament held in the United States. Featuring national teams from Brazil, England, Japan, and hosts United States, it began on February 27 an ...

that took place from February 27 – March 5. She scored her second career international goal, via a second half stoppage time header against Belgium on April 7.

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

In May 2019, McDonald was named to the final roster of the United States 23-player squad for the

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. I ...

. She made one appearance for the team at the tournament, as a half-time substitute in the teams 3–0 group stage win over Chile on June 16. She did not feature in the teams remaining tournament fixtures. She became a World Cup champion on July 7, 2019, following the teams 2–0 win vs Netherlands in Lyon, France.

International goals

Personal life

McDonald's husband is Courtney Stuart. She gave birth to a son, Jeremiah, in March 2012.

Honors

Western New York Flash * NWSL Champions:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

North Carolina Courage * NWSL Champions:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

NWSL Shield The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

United States * FIFA Women's World Cup:

CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament The CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament was an international football (soccer) event in the North America, Central America and the Caribbean region, and was the qualification tournament for the Olympic Games. Women's football tourname ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

SheBelieves Cup The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women's soccer tournament held in different cities in the United States in late February or early March. In its first three years (2016, 2017 and 2018), it was contested by the same four teams: the United ...

Personal

*NWSL Best XI:

*NWSL Second XI:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

*NWSL Championship Game MVP:

References

External links

Western New York Flash player profile

Portland Thorns player profile

Chicago Red Stars player profile

North Carolina Tar Heels player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Jessica 1988 births Living people American women's soccer players North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer players Chicago Red Stars players Melbourne Victory FC (A-League Women) players Expatriate women's soccer players in Australia American expatriate sportspeople in Australia OL Reign players Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games National Women's Soccer League players Portland Thorns FC players A-League Women players Soccer players from Phoenix, Arizona Women's association football forwards Phoenix College alumni Houston Dash players Western New York Flash players Racing Louisville FC players Western United FC (A-League Women) players Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States United States women's international soccer players United States women's under-20 international soccer players North Carolina Courage players Pan American Games medalists in football African-American women's soccer players Phoenix Bears women's soccer players 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players FIFA Women's World Cup-winning players Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Women's Professional Soccer players