Jessica McDonald facts for kids
McDonald before USWNT friendly against New Zealand in May 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jessica Marie McDonald | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | February 28, 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Phoenix Bears | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | North Carolina Tar Heels | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Chicago Red Stars | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Melbourne Victory | 13 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Chicago Red Stars | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Seattle Reign FC | 7 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Portland Thorns FC | 24 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Houston Dash | 20 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Western New York Flash | 20 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | North Carolina Courage | 84 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Racing Louisville | 26 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Western United (loan) | 9 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States U17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | United States U20 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | United States U23 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | United States | 19 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of February 24, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 8, 2020 |
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Jessica Marie McDonald, born on February 28, 1988, is an American soccer commentator and a former professional soccer player. She played for many teams in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). These teams included the Chicago Red Stars, Seattle Reign, Portland Thorns, Houston Dash, Western New York Flash, North Carolina Courage, and Racing Louisville.
During her time with the Flash and Courage, she helped her teams win three NWSL Shields and three NWSL Championships. Jessica also played 19 games for the United States national team. She was a key part of the team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Jessica McDonald was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Her brother, Brandon McDonald, also became a professional soccer player. Jessica went to Cactus High School in Glendale, Arizona. There, she played basketball for all four years and ran track in her junior and senior years.
High School Achievements
In 2004 and 2006, Jessica was on state championship basketball teams. She was also chosen as a top player for both the state and her region. In track and field, she was a state champion and set records in the 400 meters. When she graduated, she held school records for the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, and the 4 × 400 meter relay team.
Club Soccer Success
From 2000 to 2007, Jessica played for the Sereno Soccer club. Her team won state championships every year she played. She also helped Sereno win regional championships in 2003 and 2007. In 2003, her team finished second in the national championship. She was also the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Surf Cup tournament in 2006.
College Sports Journey
Jessica started college at Phoenix College. She played soccer, basketball, and ran track there. She was named a first-team junior college All-America in soccer. She was also the National Junior College Player of the Year. Jessica set new records at Phoenix College for goals and assists in a single season. In basketball, she was the top rebounder in junior college across the country.
After two years, Jessica moved to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She joined the North Carolina Tar Heels soccer team in 2008. She helped her team win the national championship as a starting forward. In her first year, she scored 5 goals and had 10 assists. She led the team in assists, even though she only played in 75% of their games.
Professional Club Career
Jessica McDonald had a long and successful career playing for many professional soccer clubs.
Chicago Red Stars (2010, 2013)
In 2010, the Chicago Red Stars picked Jessica in the 2010 WPS Draft. She played five games before a knee injury kept her out for 18 months. She returned to the Red Stars in 2013 for the first season of the NWSL. She played nine games before moving to another team.
Melbourne Victory FC (2012–2013)
Jessica played for Melbourne Victory FC in Australia during the 2012–13 season. She started all 13 games she played and scored seven goals. She helped her team reach the Grand Final match.
Seattle Reign FC (2013)
After leaving the Red Stars, Jessica joined the Seattle Reign FC. She scored her first goal for the team in her very first game. In another game, she scored two goals, helping the Reign win 2–1. She finished the 2013 season with three goals, which was third-highest on the team.
Portland Thorns (2014)
In 2014, Jessica moved to the Portland Thorns. She was a starting forward for the first 11 games. She became the team's top scorer that year with 11 goals. One of her goals, scored in just 33 seconds, was the fastest goal in NWSL history at the time.
Houston Dash (2015)
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Jessica was traded to the Houston Dash in 2015. She led the Dash in goals during their first season, scoring seven. She scored the winning goal in a 1–0 game against her old team, the Portland Thorns.
Western New York Flash (2016)
In 2016, Jessica joined the Western New York Flash. She was a top player in the NWSL that season. She finished third in goals scored (10) and assists (7). Her great performance led to her first call-up to the United States national team.
North Carolina Courage (2017–2021)
In 2017, the Western New York Flash team moved and became the North Carolina Courage. In May 2017, Jessica became the first NWSL player to score 33 regular-season goals in her career. She scored 4 goals in 2017, helping North Carolina win the NWSL Shield.
In 2018, Jessica played in 23 games and scored 7 goals. The North Carolina Courage set a new record for most goals in a season with 53. In the playoff semi-final, Jessica scored a goal in the 5th minute, which was the fastest goal in playoff history. The Courage won 2–0 and went to the final. Jessica scored two goals in the NWSL Championship game, helping her team beat the Portland Thorns 3–0. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the match. This was her second NWSL Championship win.
Racing Louisville (2022–2023)
In December 2021, Racing Louisville gained Jessica's playing rights. She signed a two-year contract with Racing in January 2022. She scored her first goal for Racing in a game against the Houston Dash. Her contract with Racing Louisville ended in November 2023. After that season, she retired from playing and became a club ambassador for the North Carolina Courage.
Loan to Western United
In October 2022, Jessica was loaned to the Australian A-League Women club Western United. She played for them for three months at the start of their first season. She scored the club's very first goal in a 1–0 win against Melbourne Victory.
International Career
Jessica McDonald played for several United States youth national teams. These included the under-16, under-17, under-20, and under-23 teams. In 2007, she was part of the U-20 team that won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Jessica was first called up to the senior national team on November 2, 2016. She played her first international game on November 10 against Romania.
After a strong 2018 NWSL season, Jessica was called up again in November 2018. She started a game against Portugal on November 8 and scored her first international goal, which was the winning goal. This 1–0 win was the 500th victory in the history of the senior national team.
In January 2019, Jessica joined the team for training camps and friendly games. She scored her second international goal against Belgium on April 7.
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
In May 2019, Jessica McDonald was chosen for the United States' 23-player squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in one game during the tournament, coming in as a substitute in a 3–0 win against Chile on June 16. She did not play in any other games. On July 7, 2019, she became a World Cup champion when her team won 2–0 against the Netherlands in the final.
International Goals
Jessica scored four goals for the United States national team.
| Key (expand for notes on “international goals” and sorting) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name |
| Lineup | Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time |
| Goal in match | Goal of total goals by the player in the match Sorted by total goals followed by goal number |
| # | NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match) |
| Min | The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal. |
| Assist/pass | The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information. |
| penalty or pk | Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.) |
| Score | The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team |
| Result | The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation |
| aet | The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation |
| pso | Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parenthesis; the match was tied at the end of extra-time |
| Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match | |
| Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament | |
| Light-orange background color – Olympic women's football qualification match | |
| Light-blue background color – FIFA women's world cup qualification match | |
| Pink background color – Continental Games or regional tournament | |
| Orange background color – Olympic women's football tournament | |
| Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament | |
| NOTE on background colors: Continental Games or regional tournament are sometimes also qualifier for World Cup or Olympics; information depends on the source such as the player's federation.
NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player |
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Goal |
Date | Location | Opponent | Cap | Lineup | Min | Assist/pass | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2018-11-08 | Lisbon, Portugal |  Portugal |
2 | Start | 42' | unassisted | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
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2019-04-07 | Los Angeles, California | .svg){kind=small} Belgium |
7 | 90+1' | Christen Press | 6–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 3 | 2020-01-31 | Houston, Texas |  Panama |
15 | Start | 72' | unassisted |
6–0 |
8–0 |
Olympic qualifier: Group A |
| 4 | 2020-02-04 | Houston, Texas |  Costa Rica |
16 | Start | 77' | Sam Mewis |
5–0 |
6–0 |
Personal Life
Jessica McDonald is a mother to two sons and one daughter.
Awards and Honors
Jessica McDonald has won many awards and honors throughout her career.
Team Honors
- Western New York Flash
- NWSL Champions: 2016
- North Carolina Courage
- NWSL Champions: 2018, 2019
- NWSL Shield: 2017, 2018, 2019
- United States National Team
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2019
- CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2020
- SheBelieves Cup: 2020
Individual Honors
- NWSL Best XI: 2016
- NWSL Second XI: 2014
- NWSL Championship Most Valuable Player: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Jessica McDonald para niños
