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) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Triangle United | |||
| Triangle Futbol Club | |||
| 2014–17 | CASL ECNL | ||
| 2018 | NTH Tophat | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 65 | (23) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 10 | (0) |
| 2022– | North Carolina Courage | 47 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | United States U-17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | United States U-20 | 29 | (12) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 7, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 16, 2021 |
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Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto (born May 24, 2000) is an American professional soccer player. She 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 in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, NJ/NY Gotham FC chose her third overall in the NWSL Draft. Later that year, she joined the Courage.
Pinto also played for the U.S. 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 16, she was the youngest player asked to join the senior national team 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 Soccer Start
Brianna Pinto was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She grew up in Durham, North Carolina. When she was 9, her father, Hassan, put her on a boys' soccer team. He had played for the men's soccer team himself. He talked to famous women's soccer players like Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly. They told him that playing against boys helped them get better when they were young.
When Brianna was 13, she joined a team called Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) ECNL. She played there from 2014 to 2017. After that, she joined NTH Tophat in Atlanta in 2018.
College Soccer Career
Anson Dorrance, the coach for the University of North Carolina women's team, started watching Brianna play when she was in eighth grade. He had also coached her father. Brianna decided to play for North Carolina when she was in ninth grade.
She 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 Coach Dorrance's 1,000th career win.
Top Player at UNC
In 2019, during her second year, Brianna was named a First-Team All-American. This is a big honor for college athletes. She helped her team, the Tar Heels, reach the final game of the 2019 College Cup. She was also chosen for the All-ACC team for all three years she played at North Carolina.
In the 2020 season, which finished in Spring 2021, Brianna helped North Carolina get to the semifinal of the NCAA Tournament. She scored a goal in their game against Santa Clara. For the second year in a row, she was named First-Team All-America. She was also one of the top three players considered for the Hermann Trophy. This award goes to the best college soccer player each season.
Professional Club Career
NJ/NY Gotham FC
In January 2021, Brianna decided to join the 2021 NWSL Draft. This meant she would become a professional player. NJ/NY Gotham FC picked her as the third player overall in the draft.
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 into the game as a substitute against the Orlando Pride.
North Carolina Courage
On December 6, 2021, Brianna Pinto was traded to the North Carolina Courage. This meant she would play for a new team.
On March 19, 2022, Brianna scored her first professional goal. It was in a NWSL Challenge Cup game against her old team, NJ/NY Gotham FC. She made the score 1–0. On May 18, 2022, she scored her first goal in a regular NWSL season game against Orlando Pride.
At the start of the 2024 season, Brianna started playing as a central striker. This was a new role for her, as she usually played as a midfielder. Her coach, Sean Nahas, moved her to this position after another player, Kerolin, was injured.
Playing for the United States
Brianna Pinto has been part of the United States women's national soccer team program since she was 12 years old. She was invited to a camp for young players. She played for the U.S. U-17 team in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. She also played for the U.S. U-20 team in the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She was two years younger than most players in the U-20 tournament. Brianna played in every game at both of these big tournaments.
In January 2017, Brianna was asked to join the senior national team for the first time. She was only 16, making her the youngest player on the team for the 2017 SheBelieves Cup. Even though she didn't play in any games, it was a huge honor.
Personal Life and Advocacy
In 2018, Brianna Pinto spoke at the 68th FIFA Congress. She was with other young athletes, Alphonso Davies from Canada and Diego Lainez from Mexico. They helped present North America's plan 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 seats on the United States Soccer Federation's Athlete's Council. They wanted to bring younger and more diverse voices to the leadership. They won their seats. Before this, the council had no Black members and only one person born after 1990. In July 2024, Brianna was one of five active NWSL players who helped with talks to update the league's agreement for players.
Both of Brianna's parents went to the University of North Carolina. Her father, Hassan, played for the men's soccer team. Her mother, Meleata, played softball. Brianna's older brother, Hassan Jr., played soccer professionally. Her younger brother, Malik, also plays soccer in Major League Soccer.
See also
- List of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
