Brianna Pinto facts for kids
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Pinto with the North Carolina Courage in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto | ||
| Date of birth | May 24, 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | New Haven, Connecticut, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Triangle United | |||
| Triangle Futbol Club | |||
| 2014–17 | CASL ECNL | ||
| 2018 | NTH Tophat | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2021 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 10 | (0) |
| 2022– | North Carolina Courage | 47 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | United States U-17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | United States U-20 | 29 | (12) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto was born on May 24, 2000. She is an American professional soccer player. Brianna plays as a midfielder for the North Carolina Courage. This team is part of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Brianna grew up in Durham, North Carolina. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels. She was a top player, named a First-Team All-American in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, she was picked third in the NWSL Draft by NJ/NY Gotham FC. Later that year, she joined the Courage.
Pinto also played for the United States youth national teams. She played in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. When she was just 16, she was called up to the senior national team. This was for the 2017 SheBelieves Cup. In 2019, she was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
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Early Life and Youth Soccer
Brianna Pinto was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She grew up in Durham, North Carolina. When she was nine, her father, Hassan, put her on a boys' team. He had played soccer for the men's team himself. He spoke with famous women's soccer players like Mia Hamm. They told him that playing against boys helped them get better when they were young.
From 2014 to 2017, Brianna played for Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) ECNL. This team was in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2018, she joined NTH Tophat in Atlanta.
College Soccer Career
Anson Dorrance, the coach for the University of North Carolina women's team, started recruiting Brianna when she was in eighth grade. He had also coached her father. Brianna accepted the offer in ninth grade.
Making Her College Debut
Brianna played her first college game in August 2018. She scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against Ohio State. This win was special because it was the 1,000th victory for Coach Dorrance.
Success with the Tar Heels
In 2019, during her second year, she was named a First-Team All-American. Her teammates Alessia Russo and Emily Fox also received this honor. Brianna helped the Tar Heels reach the final of the 2019 College Cup. She was also chosen for the First-Team All-ACC in all three of her years at North Carolina.
In the 2020 season, which was played in Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brianna helped her team reach the NCAA Tournament semifinal. She scored a goal in their game against Santa Clara. For the second year in a row, she was named First-Team All-American. She was also one of the top three finalists for the Hermann Trophy. This award goes to the best college soccer player each season.
Professional Club Career
Playing for NJ/NY Gotham FC
In January 2021, Brianna announced she would enter the 2021 NWSL Draft. She still planned to finish her junior college season first. NJ/NY Gotham FC picked her in the first round. She was the third player chosen overall.
On June 4, 2021, Pinto signed a two-year contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC. She played her first professional game on June 20, 2021. She came in as a substitute against Orlando Pride.
Joining the North Carolina Courage
On December 6, 2021, Brianna Pinto was traded to the North Carolina Courage.
On March 19, 2022, she scored her first professional goal. This was in a NWSL Challenge Cup match against NJ/NY Gotham FC. It made the score 1–0. On May 18, 2022, Pinto scored her first NWSL regular season goal. This happened in a game against Orlando Pride.
At the start of the 2024 season, Brianna began playing as the team's central striker. Before this, she was a midfielder. The Courage coach, Sean Nahas, moved her to the No. 9 position. This happened after their player Kerolin got injured.
International Career
Brianna Pinto has been part of the United States women's national soccer team program since she was 12. At that age, she was invited to a talent camp for the Under-14 youth national team.
She played for the United States U-17 team in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. She was also two years younger than most players at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She played for the United States U-20 team in that tournament. Brianna played in every game at both World Cups.
In January 2017, Pinto was called up to the senior national team for the first time. At 16, she was the youngest player on the team for the 2017 SheBelieves Cup. However, she did not play in any games during that tournament.
Personal Life
In 2018, Brianna Pinto spoke at the 68th FIFA Congress. She was with Alphonso Davies from Canada and Diego Lainez from Mexico. They presented North America's bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In October 2020, Brianna and four other young athletes formed a group called Next Gen United. They ran for and won seats on the United States Soccer Federation's Athlete's Council. Their goal was to bring more diverse voices to the federation's leadership. Before their election, the council had no Black members. It also had only one person born after 1990. In July 2024, Pinto was one of five active NWSL players. She represented the NWSL Players Association in talks to update the league's agreement.
Both of Brianna's parents went to the University of North Carolina in the early 1990s. Her father, Hassan, played for the men's soccer team. Her mother, Meleata, played softball. Her older brother, Hassan Jr., played soccer in the USL Championship. Her younger brother, Malik, plays soccer in Major League Soccer.
See also
- List of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
