Jessie Fleming facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jessie Fleming

Fleming with the Portland Thorns in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Jessie Alexandra Fleming
Date of birth	(1998-03-11) March 11, 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth	London, Ontario, Canada
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Portland Thorns
Number	21
Youth career
	Nor'West Optimist SC
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2019	UCLA Bruins	75	(25)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020–2024	Chelsea	65	(10)
2024–	Portland Thorns	37	(1)
International career‡
2013–2014	Canada U-17	9	(4)
2014	Canada U-20	3	(0)
2015	Canada U-23	5	(1)
2013–	Canada	147	(20)
Medal record Women's football Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Team Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team CONCACAF W Championship Silver 2018 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 21, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 2, 2025

Jessie Alexandra Fleming (born March 11, 1998) is a Canadian professional soccer player. She plays as a midfielder for the National Women's Soccer League club Portland Thorns. Jessie is also the captain of the Canadian national team.

Before becoming a professional, Fleming played college soccer for the UCLA Bruins from 2016 to 2019. After that, she spent four years playing for the English club Chelsea. She was a key player for Canada when they won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the final, she scored a crucial penalty kick goal. She also scored the first goal in the penalty shoot-out that helped Canada win.

Early Life and Sports

Jessie Fleming was born in London, Ontario, Canada. Her parents, Michaele and John Fleming, are from Toronto. She has an older brother, Tristan, and a younger sister, Elysse. Growing up, Jessie was very active in sports. She played soccer, hockey (even in a boys' league), track and field, and cross-country. She started playing soccer at just three years old for the Nor'West Optimist Soccer Club in London. She stayed with this club until 2016.

School Achievements

Jessie went to Ryerson Public School for elementary school. She was amazing at cross-country, winning every race throughout her elementary school years. For high school, she first attended London Central Secondary School. There, she continued to compete in track and field and cross-country events. In 2012, she won the 4000m race at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships. The next year, she won both the 1500m and 3000m races at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships. She still holds the record for the 1500m in her age group. In 2014, she won gold in the 3000m and silver in the 1500m at the same championships. She later moved to H. B. Beal Secondary School and graduated in 2016.

College Soccer Career

In December 2014, Jessie decided to play for UCLA. She joined the Bruins in August 2016. Her first game was on August 28, where she scored two goals. This was less than ten days after she helped Canada win a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. She scored 7 goals in her first 6 college games. She ended her first season with 11 goals and 5 assists, leading her team in scoring. She was recognized as one of the best new players in college soccer.

As a second-year student, Fleming scored 6 goals and made 8 assists. She was named an All-American player. She helped UCLA reach the College Cup final. She even scored a goal in the championship game.

Fleming at UCLA in 2019

Even though she missed many games in her third year due to playing for the national team, she still did very well. She scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. In her final year, she played as a defensive midfielder. She scored 3 goals and had 4 assists. She was a finalist for several top college soccer awards.

Jessie graduated from UCLA in 2021. She studied materials engineering and also had a minor in environmental science.

Professional Club Career

Playing for Chelsea

On July 22, 2020, Jessie Fleming signed a three-year contract with FA WSL champions Chelsea. She made her first appearance for Chelsea on August 29, 2020. This was in the FA Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley. On December 9, she played her first UEFA Champions League game. She helped Chelsea win 5–0 against Benfica. A week later, she started her first game against the same team, winning 3–0.

On January 27, 2021, she started her first league game. Chelsea won 4–0 against Aston Villa. On March 14, she played the whole game as Chelsea won the FA League Cup Final. In her first season, she played 26 games and helped Chelsea win the 2020–21 FA WSL title. She was on the bench for the 2021 Champions League Final, where Chelsea lost to Barcelona. Jessie later said that moving to professional soccer was a big challenge. She had to work hard to earn playing time.

For the 2021–22 FA WSL season, Jessie scored her first goal for Chelsea on September 26, 2021. This was in a big 6–1 win against Manchester United. A few days later, she got her first assist for the club. She set up a goal in the FA Cup quarter-final. She also scored her first Champions League goal in a 7–0 win against Servette. In this season, Jessie played much more often. She played in 21 out of 22 league games, starting 11 of them. She scored six goals and made four assists. She helped Chelsea win the league title for the second time. She also played in her second FA Cup Final with the team.

Moving to Portland Thorns

After the 2022–23 Women's Super League season began, Jessie signed a new contract with Chelsea until 2025. Chelsea won their third straight FA Cup on May 27, 2023. Four days later, they won their fourth straight Women's Super League title. Jessie played 20 games that season, starting a career-high 14 times. However, her playing time started to decrease later in the season and into the next season.

On January 23, 2024, it was reported that Jessie Fleming would move to the American NWSL team Portland Thorns. The transfer fee was £250,000, which made it the most expensive player transfer ever for an NWSL club.

International Career

Youth National Teams

Jessie Fleming started playing for Canada's youth national teams in 2012 when she was 14. In 2013, she was the captain of the Canada U-17 team. She led them to a silver medal at the 2013 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in Jamaica. She scored three goals in that tournament and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). She was also chosen for the tournament's Best XI team.

In 2014, she played in the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica. She helped Canada get out of a tough group. She played in all four of Canada's games and scored one goal. She also played in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada. At 16, she was one of the youngest players on the team. In December 2014, she was named the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year.

Jessie also played for Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games. She played every minute of the tournament. She scored a penalty goal in the bronze medal match against Mexico. In December 2015, she was named the Canadian U-20 Player of the Year.

Senior National Team Debut

In December 2013, Jessie Fleming was called up to the senior national team. She was only 15 years old. On December 15, she made her first senior international appearance. She was the second-youngest player ever to play for the national team at that time. A week later, she started her first game for Canada.

In 2014, Fleming played six more games for the senior team. In early 2015, she moved to Vancouver to train full-time with the national team. On March 4, 2015, she scored her first goal for the senior team. This was in a 2–0 win against Scotland.

On April 27, 2015, Jessie was named to the team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. This World Cup was held in Canada. At 17, she was the youngest player on the Canadian team. She started Canada's final group game against the Netherlands. Canada won their group. Canada then won their first World Cup knockout game since 2003, but lost to England in the quarter-finals.

At the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers, Jessie scored her second international goal. She was named to Canada's 2016 Summer Olympics team. Canada won a bronze medal at these Olympics. She helped set up the winning goal in the bronze medal match.

Jessie played her 50th senior game on March 7, 2018. She scored her fifth international goal in a 3–0 win. By this time, she was seen as one of the most promising young players on the team. On May 25, 2019, Fleming was named to the team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played every minute of the tournament for Canada. On June 15, she scored her first World Cup goal. Canada was knocked out in the Round of 16. Jessie later said this was "really disappointing."

Olympic Gold Medal

Jessie Fleming was part of the Canadian team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This was her second Olympic tournament. The Tokyo Olympics were a huge moment for Jessie. After a quarter-final win, the team captain, Christine Sinclair, suggested that Jessie should take over as the team's main penalty-taker.

In the semi-final match against the United States on August 2, 2021, Jessie scored the only goal from a penalty kick. This 1–0 win sent Canada to its first ever Olympic final. Many people saw this moment as a "passing of the torch" from Sinclair to Fleming. Jessie scored another penalty kick in the gold medal match against Sweden, tying the game 1–1. She then scored the first goal in the penalty shoot-out, which led to Canada winning the gold medal!

Recent Achievements

In 2021, Jessie Fleming was named Player of the Month three times by the Canadian Soccer Association. She was also voted Canadian Player of the Year. At the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup, Jessie captained the first match against England. On June 26, she played her 100th game for Canada. Later that year, she scored three goals at the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. She was named Canada Soccer's Player of the Year for the second time in a row.

2023 World Cup

Before the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, there were some issues between the women's national team and the Canadian Soccer Association. Jessie Fleming was expected to be a very important player for Canada in the tournament. Some experts even said, "How Fleming goes, I think Canada goes." However, due to an injury, Jessie could not play in the first match against Nigeria. This game ended in a 0–0 draw, and her absence was noticed.

She returned to play the full game in Canada's 2–1 win over Ireland. She wore the captain's armband for the first half. Canada needed only a draw in their final group match against Australia to move forward. But they lost 4–0, which was a very tough defeat. Jessie said it was "a bad night to have a bad night."

After the World Cup, the team got ready for the Olympic qualification playoff in September. They played against Jamaica to earn a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Canada won both games. Jessie started both games and wore the captain's armband. At the end of the year, she was named Canada Soccer's Player of the Year for the third time in a row.

Becoming Captain

Before the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Jessie Fleming was officially named the captain of the Canada national team. She took over from Christine Sinclair. Canada reached the semi-finals of the tournament. They lost to the United States in a penalty shootout. Jessie was named to the tournament’s Best XI team. She was also called up to the Canada team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

Here are Jessie Fleming's statistics for her club teams.

International Performance

Here are Jessie Fleming's appearances and goals for the Canadian national team each year.

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fleming goal.

List of international goals scored by Jessie Fleming

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	March 4, 2015	GSP Stadium, Strovolos, Cyprus	Scotland	1–0	2–0	2015 Cyprus Cup
2	February 14, 2016	BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States	Trinidad and Tobago	6–0	6–0	2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship
3	July 20, 2016	Stade Sébastien Charléty, Paris, France	China	1–0	1–0	Friendly
4	June 8, 2017	Investors Group Field, Winnipeg, Canada	Costa Rica	1–0	3–1	Friendly
5	March 5, 2018	Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, Albufeira, Portugal	South Korea	2–0	3–0	2018 Algarve Cup
6	June 10, 2018	Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, Canada	Germany	2–1	2–3	Friendly
7	October 14, 2018	Toyota Stadium, Dallas, United States	Panama	3–0	7–0	2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship
8	March 25, 2019	BMO Field, Toronto, Canada	Mexico	1–0	3–0	Friendly
9	June 15, 2019	Stade des Alpes, Grenoble, France	New Zealand	1–0	2–0	2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
10	January 29, 2020	H-E-B Park, Edinburg, United States	Saint Kitts and Nevis	8–0	11–0	2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship
11	April 9, 2021	Leckwith Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	Wales	3–0	3–0	Friendly
12	August 2, 2021	Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan	United States	1–0	1–0	2020 Summer Olympics
13	August 6, 2021	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan	Sweden	1–1	1–1(aet), (3–2 p)	2020 Summer Olympics
14	October 23, 2021	TD Place Stadium, Ottawa, Canada	New Zealand	1–0	5–1	Friendly
15	April 8, 2022	BC Place, Vancouver, Canada	Nigeria	1–0	2–0	Friendly
16	July 5, 2022	Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico	Trinidad and Tobago	4–0	6–0	2022 CONCACAF W Championship
17	July 11, 2022	Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico	Costa Rica	1–0	2–0	2022 CONCACAF W Championship
18	July 14, 2022	Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Mexico	Jamaica	1–0	3–0	2022 CONCACAF W Championship
19	October 10, 2022	Estadio Municipal de Chapín, Jerez, Spain	Morocco	1–0	4–0	Friendly
20	July 28, 2024	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, France	France	1–1	2–1	2024 Summer Olympics

Awards and Honours

Jessie Fleming has won many awards and honours throughout her career:

Chelsea

• Women's Super League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Women's FA Cup: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
• FA Women's League Cup: 2020–21
• Women's FA Community Shield: 2020

Canada National Team

• Summer Olympic Games:
  • Gold Medal: 2020 Tokyo
  • Bronze Medal: 2016 Rio de Janeiro
• CONCACAF W Championship runner-up: 2018, 2022
• Algarve Cup: 2016
• Four Nations Tournament: 2015

Individual Awards

• CONCACAF Best XI: 2017
• CONCACAF W Championship Best XI: 2018, 2022
• CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best XI: 2024
• CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship Golden Ball (MVP): 2013
• CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship Best XI: 2013
• Canadian Player of the Year: 2021, 2022, 2023
• Canadian U-20 Player of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2017
• Canadian U-17 Player of the Year: 2014
• FA Women's Super League Player of the Month: November 2021
• First-team All-American (College Soccer): 2017, 2019
• Third-team All-American (College Soccer): 2016

See also

In Spanish: Jessie Fleming para niños