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
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Portland Thorns
Number	21
Youth career
	Nor'West Optimist SC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2020–2024	Chelsea	65	(10)
2024–	Portland Thorns	25	(0)
National team‡
2013–2014	Canada U-17	9	(4)
2014	Canada U-20	3	(0)
2015	Canada U-23	5	(1)
2013–	Canada	139	(20)
Honours Women's football Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Team Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team CONCACAF W Championship Silver 2018 United States
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 1, 2024. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 3, 2024

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 team 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 game, she scored Canada's only regular-time goal from a penalty kick. She also scored the first goal in the penalty shoot-out.

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 age three for the Nor'West Optimist Soccer Club in London, where she stayed until 2016.

Jessie went to Ryerson Public School for elementary school. She was amazing at cross-country, winning every race throughout her elementary years. Later, she attended London Central Secondary School for grades 9 and 10. There, she competed in track and field and cross-country events called OFSAA. 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 a gold medal in the 3000m race and a silver medal in the 1500m race at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships. She then moved to H. B. Beal Secondary School for grades 11 and 12 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, just ten days after she helped Canada win a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. In that first game, she scored two goals, but UCLA lost 4–3 to Florida. She kept scoring, netting 7 goals in her first 6 college games. She played in 19 games, starting 16 of them. She was the team's top scorer with 11 goals and 5 assists.

As a freshman in 2016, Jessie was one of only two first-year players to be named an All-American. This means she was recognized as one of the best college players in the country. She was also named the Freshman of the Year by Top Drawer Soccer.

In her second year, Jessie scored 6 goals and had 8 assists. She was again named a first-team All-American. She helped UCLA reach the College Cup final, where she scored a goal. She was also a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, which is given to the best college soccer player.

Even though she missed almost half of her third year due to playing for the national team, Jessie still earned All-Pac-12 honors for the third year in a row. She scored 5 goals and had 5 assists that season.

Fleming playing for UCLA in 2019

In her final year, Jessie played as a defensive midfielder. She scored 3 goals and had 4 assists in 22 games. She was again a finalist for the Hermann Trophy. She also graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a degree in materials engineering and 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. On August 29, she made her first appearance for Chelsea. She came on as a substitute against Manchester City in the 2020 Women's FA Community Shield at Wembley. On December 9, she played her first UEFA Champions League game, a 5–0 win against Benfica. A week later, she started her first game for Chelsea against the same team, helping them win 3–0.

On January 27, 2021, she made her first league start in a 4–0 win against Aston Villa. On March 14, she played the whole game as Chelsea won the 2021 FA Women's League Cup Final against Bristol City. 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 challenge, as she had to improve her game to get playing time.

In the 2021–22 FA WSL season, Jessie scored her first goal for Chelsea in a 6–1 win against Manchester United on September 26, 2021. Three days later, she got her first assist for the club. On October 10, she made her first league assist in a 2–0 win against Leicester City. On October 31, she helped Chelsea reach the 2021 Women's FA Cup Final. On November 9, she scored her first Champions League goal in a 7–0 win against Servette. In the 2021–22 season, Jessie played much more often, appearing in 21 of 22 games and scoring six goals with four assists. She won the league title with Chelsea for the second time.

After the 2022–23 Women's Super League season began, Jessie signed a new contract with Chelsea until 2025. Chelsea won its third straight Women's 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 14 of them. 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 would move to the American NWSL team Portland Thorns. The transfer fee of £250,000 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. The next year, she was the captain of Canada at the 2013 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in Jamaica. She led the team to a silver medal. During the tournament, she scored three goals and was named Player of the Match twice. She was also named to the Best XI team and won the Golden Ball award as the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). In December 2013, she was nominated for the Canadian U-17 Players of the Year award.

At the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica, Jessie helped Canada get out of a tough group. She played in all four of Canada's games and scored one goal against Germany. She also had an assist in the quarter-final loss to Venezuela. In December 2014, she was named Canadian U-17 Player of the Year.

Jessie was also part of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada. At 16, she was the second-youngest player on the team. She played in two group stage games and the full 90 minutes in the quarter-final against Germany. In December 2015, she was named Canadian U-20 Player of the Year.

She also played for Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games. She played every minute of the tournament and scored a penalty in the bronze medal match against Mexico, which Canada lost 2–1.

Senior National Team

Early Years and Olympic Medals (2013–2019)

In December 2013, Jessie Fleming was called up to the senior national team for the first time. She made her senior international debut on December 15 at just 15 years old. She became the second-youngest player ever to play for the national team at that time. A week later, she made her first start for Canada.

In 2015, Jessie moved to Vancouver to train full-time with the national team. On March 4, 2015, she scored her first goal for the senior team in a 2–0 win over Scotland. On April 27, 2015, Jessie was named to the team for the 2015 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Canada. At 17, she was the youngest player on the team. Canada won their group, but lost to England in the quarter-finals.

At the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, Jessie scored her second international goal against Trinidad and Tobago. She was named to Canada's team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Canada won a bronze medal, defeating Brazil. Jessie helped set up the winning goal scored by Christine Sinclair.

On March 7, 2018, Jessie played her 50th game for the senior team and scored her fifth international goal. By this time, she was seen as one of the most promising young players for Canada. On May 25, 2019, Jessie 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 against New Zealand and was named Player of the Match. Canada was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Sweden. Jessie later said it was "really disappointing" and that the team felt they "underperformed."

Olympic Gold and World Cup Challenges (2020–2023)

Jessie was part of the Canadian team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This was her second Olympic tournament. Her role became even bigger when, after a quarter-final win, captain Christine Sinclair suggested that Jessie should take over as the team's penalty-taker. On August 2, 2021, in the semi-final against the United States, 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 to tie the game 1–1. She also scored the first goal in the penalty shoot-out, which led to Canada winning the gold medal!

In 2021, Jessie 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 started the first game as captain because Christine Sinclair was not playing. On June 26, she played her 100th game for Canada, again as captain. 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.

Leading up to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, there were some disagreements between the women's national team and the Canadian Soccer Association about funding. Jessie was expected to be a very important player for Canada in the tournament. However, she got an injury in practice and could not play in the first match against Nigeria, which ended in a 0–0 tie. Her absence was noticed as a major weakness. She returned to play the full 90 minutes in Canada's 2–1 win over Ireland. Canada needed only a tie with Australia to move forward, but they lost 4–0. Jessie called it "a bad night to have a bad night."

After the World Cup, the team prepared for the Olympic qualification playoff in September against Jamaica. Canada won both games. Jessie started both games and wore the captain's armband. When Sinclair came into the second game, Jessie tried to give her the armband, but Sinclair waved her off, showing her support for Jessie as captain. At the end of the year, Jessie was named Canada Soccer's Player of the Year for the third time in a row!

Becoming Captain (2024–Present)

Before the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Jessie Fleming was officially named the captain of the Canada national team, taking over from Christine Sinclair. Canada reached the semi-final of the tournament, where they lost to the United States in a penalty shootout. Jessie was named to the tournament’s Best XI team, meaning she was one of the best players in the competition.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

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

International Goals and Appearances

Here are Jessie Fleming's appearances and goals for the Canadian national team:

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 Achievements

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

With Chelsea (Club Team)

• Women's Super League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 (Chelsea won the league title)
• Women's FA Cup: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 (Chelsea won the main cup competition)
• FA Women's League Cup: 2020–21 (Chelsea won the league cup)
• Women's FA Community Shield: 2020 (Chelsea won this super cup)

With Canada (National Team)

• Summer Olympic Games:
  • Gold medal: 2020 Tokyo Olympics
  • Bronze medal: 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics
• CONCACAF W Championship runner-up: 2018, 2022 (Canada finished second in this regional championship)
• Algarve Cup: 2016 (Canada won this international tournament)
• Four Nations Tournament: 2015 (Canada won this friendly tournament)

Individual Awards

• CONCACAF Best XI: 2017 (Named one of the best players in the CONCACAF region)
• CONCACAF W Championship Best XI: 2018, 2022
• CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best XI: 2024
• CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship Golden Ball: 2013 (Best player in the U-17 championship)
• CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship Best XI: 2013
• Canadian Player of the Year: 2021, 2022, 2023 (Best female player in Canada)
• 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: 2017, 2019 (Recognized as one of the best college players)
• Third-team All-American: 2016

See also

In Spanish: Jessie Fleming para niños