Adrianna Franch facts for kids
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Franch in 2016
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Adrianna Nichole Franch | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | November 12, 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Salina, Kansas, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Birmingham City | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Oklahoma State Cowgirls | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Western New York Flash | 22 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Avaldsnes IL | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Portland Thorns | 44 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Kansas City Current | 21 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2025- | Birmingham City | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | United States U-20 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | United States U-23 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | United States | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:24, 16 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 21, 2021 |
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Adrianna Nichole "AD" Franch (born November 12, 1990) is an American professional soccer player. She plays as a goalkeeper for Birmingham City. Adrianna has also played for teams like Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns FC. She won the NWSL Championship in 2017 with Portland Thorns. She was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in both 2017 and 2018.
Franch was first invited to join the United States national team in 2012. She made her first official appearance for the team in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and High School Soccer
Adrianna Franch grew up in Salina, Kansas. She went to Salina South High School. She was the main goalkeeper for her school's soccer team for three seasons. She missed her final year of high school soccer due to an injury from playing basketball.
During her time at Salina South, she received many awards. These included All-State and All-League honors. She was also named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Adrianna was also a talented basketball player. She earned first-team All-County and All-League honors in basketball.
Youth Soccer Development
Franch was part of the Kansas Olympic Development Program (ODP) team for three years. She also played on the Region II ODP team. In 2006, she was an ODP National Pool player. She helped her club team, the KC Comets Select, win a Kansas state championship in 2006. They also reached the state finals in 2007 and 2008.
When she was a child, Adrianna looked up to Briana Scurry, a famous goalkeeper for the women's national team. People even called her "the next Bri Scurry."
College Soccer at Oklahoma State University
Adrianna Franch became the starting goalkeeper for Oklahoma State University in 2009. As a freshman, she played in 24 games. She only allowed 14 goals, which was a great record. She helped the Cowgirls win the Big 12 tournament for the second time ever.
Franch is known as one of the most successful players in Big 12 Conference and Oklahoma State University soccer history. She was named an All-American twice. She was also a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy twice. For all four of her seasons at Oklahoma State, she was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. She was only the seventh player in Big 12 Conference history to do this.
Franch holds the OSU record for the most shutouts with 38. A shutout is when a goalkeeper prevents the other team from scoring any goals. She led the Big 12 in shutouts in three of her four seasons. She finished her college career with 325 saves. Her 38 shutouts rank sixth all-time in NCAA history.
In 2010, Franch became the first Oklahoma State soccer player to play for a United States national team. She was called up to the United States U-20 team.
Professional Club Career
Western New York Flash (2013–2014)
On January 18, 2013, Adrianna Franch was the sixth player chosen in the 2013 college draft for the National Women's Soccer League. She was the first goalkeeper picked by any team. She was also the first player chosen by Western New York Flash. Franch was excited to join the Flash, calling them a "very strong team."
In the team's first regular season game, Franch made six saves. Even though the Flash lost, people praised Franch's strong performance. She was seen as a promising player for the future. She finished second in the voting for NWSL Rookie of the Year in 2013. Franch missed the entire 2014 National Women's Soccer League season because of a serious knee injury.
Avaldsnes IL (2015)
After recovering from her injury, Franch joined Avaldsnes IL in 2015. This is a Norwegian club that plays in the Toppserien league. She started 12 games for the team and recorded 4 shutouts. The team finished second in the 2015 Toppserien league.
Portland Thorns FC (2016–2021)
On December 10, 2015, Franch signed with the Portland Thorns FC. This is another team in the National Women's Soccer League. In 2016, she was a backup goalkeeper. She helped the Thorns win the NWSL Shield that season. She had three shutouts in six games.
In 2017, she became the starting goalkeeper. She set a league record with 11 shutouts in the regular season. She helped the Thorns win the NWSL Championship. They beat the North Carolina Courage 1–0. Adrianna was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year for her amazing performance.
In 2018, Franch missed nine games after having knee surgery. She returned to play on June 22. She was named Player of the Week after making 11 saves in two games. Franch was also named to the 2018 NWSL Best XI. She won the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second year in a row. She was the first player to win this award twice.
Kansas City Current (2021-2024)
On August 17, 2021, Adrianna Franch was traded to Kansas City Current. This trade involved another goalkeeper, Abby Smith, and money. With Kansas City, she helped the team win the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup in 2024.
Birmingham City (2025-)
On March 15, 2025, it was announced that Franch left Kansas City. She signed a deal with Birmingham City in England. This deal is for the rest of the season.
International Career
Franch has played for different levels of the United States national soccer teams. These include the U-20, U-23, and the senior USWNT teams. Her first invitation to a U.S. youth national team camp was in late 2009. Her first international games were at the La Manga Tournament in Spain in March 2010. She played against Norway and Germany, getting a win and a tie.
In May 2012, Franch was invited to train with the United States women's national soccer team. This was to help them prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In March 2013, she was named to the senior team roster. This was for friendly matches against Germany and the Netherlands.
Franch was called into the USWNT training camp in January 2016. She was also called for friendly games against Japan in June 2016. She was invited to a training camp in November 2016 but could not attend.
In January 2018, Franch received another call-up to the USWNT's annual training camp. She was also named to the roster for the 2018 Tournament of Nations. The United States won the tournament. However, Franch did not play in any games. The main USWNT goalkeeper, Alyssa Naeher, played all three matches. Franch was called into camp for friendly games against Chile in August 2018. Again, she did not play.
Franch was named to the preliminary roster for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship. She was not on the final 20-person roster. However, she still joined the team to help them prepare.
In November 2018, Franch was called up to the senior national team for friendly games in Portugal and Scotland. In January 2019, she took part in the USWNT's yearly training camp in Portugal. Franch stayed with the national team for later games against France and Spain. But she did not get to play in those matches.
In February 2019, U.S. Soccer announced that Franch would be on the WNT roster for the SheBelieves Cup. Franch played the entire second match of the tournament. This was a 2–2 tie against England. This game was her first time starting and playing for the senior national team.
Personal Life
Adrianna Franch grew up in Salina, Kansas. She lived with her mom and two siblings. When she was ten, her family bought a home through Habitat for Humanity. She and her mom helped build the house.
Franch married her wife Emily Boscacci on December 21, 2019.
For the second match of the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, Franch wore a special jersey. She replaced her own name with that of former national team goalkeeper Briana Scurry. Adrianna had met Briana as a child and looked up to her.
Honors and Achievements
Western New York Flash
- NWSL Shield: 2013 (This award goes to the team with the best record in the regular season.)
Portland Thorns
- NWSL Champions: 2017 (This means they won the league's championship tournament.)
- NWSL Shield: 2016
- NWSL Challenge Cup: 2021 (A special tournament played before the regular season.)
Kansas City Current
- NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: 2024 (A new tournament featuring teams from the NWSL and Mexico's Liga MX Femenil.)
International Team Achievements
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2019 (The biggest international soccer tournament for women's teams.)
- Olympic Bronze Medal: 2020 (Won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games.)
- CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2020 (A tournament to qualify for the Olympics.)
- SheBelieves Cup: 2020, 2023 (An invitational tournament for top women's national teams.)
- Tournament of Nations: 2018 (Another invitational tournament for national teams.)
Individual Awards
- NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year: 2017, 2018 (Recognized as the best goalkeeper in the NWSL.)
- NWSL Best XI: 2017, 2018 (Named one of the best 11 players in the league.)
- NWSL Second XI: 2013 (Named one of the next best 11 players in the league.)
- CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year: 2017 (Recognized as the best goalkeeper in the CONCACAF region, which includes North and Central America and the Caribbean.)
Images for kids
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Franch in 2016
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July 4, 2013; Adrianna Franch defending a corner kick in Chicago Red Stars vs Western New York Flash.
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Franch in her first cap with the USWNT against England on March 2, 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Adrianna Franch para niños
