Lauren Holiday facts for kids
Holiday in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lauren Cheney Holiday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | September 30, 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward, midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ben Davis High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Pali Blues | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Boston Breakers | 32 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | FC Kansas City | 48 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | United States U17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | United States U20 | 20 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | United States U21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2015 | United States | 133 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Lauren Cheney Holiday (born Lauren Nicole Cheney; September 30, 1987) is a retired American professional soccer player. She played as a midfielder and forward. Lauren was a key player for the United States women's national soccer team from 2007 to 2015.
She won two Olympic gold medals and a FIFA Women's World Cup championship. Holiday also played for professional teams like FC Kansas City and the Boston Breakers. Before turning pro, she played college soccer for the UCLA Bruins.
Lauren won gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. She also helped the U.S. team win the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. In the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, the U.S. team finished second, and Lauren was named to the tournament's All-Star team.
She was recognized as the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year in 2007. Later, in 2014, she earned the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year award. After she retired, her jersey was the first in NWSL history to be retired.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Beginnings
Lauren Holiday was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. She started playing soccer when she was young, inspired by watching her brother. Until she was 12, she played on boys' teams.
She went to Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. There, she was named the most valuable offensive player in 2004–05. In 2006, she was named a Parade All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year. She scored 118 goals and made 67 assists in high school. Lauren graduated early in 2006 to train with the United States U-20 women's national soccer team.
Playing for UCLA Bruins (2006–2009)
In 2006, Lauren joined UCLA. She was named a first-team All-American and Freshman of the Year. She led her conference with 19 goals, setting a new UCLA freshman record.
As a sophomore in 2007, she was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, a top college soccer award. She led the conference again with 23 goals. Lauren set new UCLA records for points (57) and goals (23) in a single season.
She was the first UCLA player to be named a First-Team All-American all four years. At UCLA, she set school records for total points (173) and game-winning goals (28). She also tied the school record for career goals with 71.
Professional Soccer Career
Club Teams
Pali Blues (2009)
In the summer of 2009, Lauren played for the Pali Blues in the W-League. Her team had a perfect regular season, not losing any matches. The Pali Blues won the championship title on August 7, 2009. Lauren scored a goal in the semi-final match.
Boston Breakers (2010–2011)
On January 15, 2010, the Boston Breakers chose Lauren as the second pick in the WPS Draft. She played in 23 games in the 2010 WPS season, scoring five goals. Boston finished second in the regular season. Lauren scored the team's only goal in their playoff loss. She was also a starter in the 2010 WPS All-Star Game.
In the 2011 WPS season, Lauren played ten games for Boston. After returning from the World Cup, her two goals in the final regular season match helped the Breakers reach the playoffs. She was named WPS Player of the Week for her great performance.
FC Kansas City (2013–2015)
In 2013, Lauren joined FC Kansas City for the first season of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In June 2013, she was named NWSL Player of the Month. She scored six goals in five games, becoming the league's top scorer.
FC Kansas City finished second in the regular season. Lauren won the Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals (12). She was also named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2013 NWSL season.
In the 2014 NWSL season, Lauren helped FC Kansas City finish second again. She led the team with 7 assists and scored 8 goals. In the playoffs, she scored a goal in the semi-final. She also assisted both goals in the 2014 Championship game, helping her team win their first NWSL title. Lauren was voted the match's MVP.
By 2015, Lauren was the all-time leading goal scorer (20) and assist leader (12) in the NWSL. She retired from the NWSL at the end of the 2015 season. FC Kansas City won the championship again that year, so Lauren retired with both world and league titles. Her number 12 jersey was retired in her honor.
International Career
Lauren Holiday first played for the U.S. women's national soccer team on January 26, 2007, against Germany. She scored her first goals against Mexico on April 14, 2007. That same year, she was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Lauren was chosen for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She played in three games as a substitute. She helped the U.S. team win the gold medal at the tournament.
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
In 2011, the U.S. team prepared for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Lauren scored her 12th international goal in a 2–1 win over Canada. The U.S. team won the Four Nations Tournament that year.
At the 2011 Algarve Cup, she scored a goal against Iceland in the final. This helped the U.S. win 4–2 and claim their 8th title in that tournament.
Lauren started in all six matches at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. She scored two goals and had three assists, leading the team. Her great play earned her a spot on the Women's World Cup All-Star Team. She scored the first U.S. goal of the tournament against North Korea. She also assisted Megan Rapinoe's first World Cup goal.
In the semi-final against France, Lauren scored the first goal in the ninth minute. Her cross to Abby Wambach later helped the U.S. win 3–1 and reach the final. The U.S. lost to Japan in the final after a penalty shootout.
2012 London Olympics
Lauren led the U.S. team with seven assists in five games at the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. She had four assists in a huge 14–0 win against the Dominican Republic. She played in all six games at the 2012 Summer Olympics, starting five. She came off the bench in the gold medal match due to a minor injury.
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
In 2015, Lauren scored the third goal in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final. This goal helped the U.S. defeat Japan 5–2.
After winning the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Lauren announced her retirement from international soccer on July 7, 2015.
Honors and Awards
International Achievements
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2008, 2012
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015
- Algarve Cup: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015
- CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2008, 2012
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2014
- Four Nations Tournament: 2007, 2008, 2011
Individual Awards
- FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team: 2011
- NWSL Best XI: 2013, 2014
- NWSL Most Valuable Player: 2013
- NWSL Golden Boot: 2013
- NWSL Championship Most Valuable Player: 2014
- U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year: 2007
- U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year: 2014
- National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2023
Team Championships
- with FC Kansas City
- NWSL championship: 2014, 2015
Personal Life and Family
When Lauren was three years old, she had open heart surgery to fix a heart problem. On July 7, 2013, she married professional basketball player Jrue Holiday. They met and started dating in 2008 when they were both students at UCLA.
Lauren is a Christian.
In September 2016, it was announced that Lauren had been diagnosed with a brain tumor during her pregnancy. Her husband took time off from basketball to care for her. The tumor was benign, meaning it was not cancerous. Lauren gave birth to her daughter, Jrue Tyler Holiday, in September 2016. The tumor was successfully removed in October. She later had a son, Hendrix, in 2020.
Lauren has worked with brands like Under Armour and Chobani. In 2020, she became part of the ownership group for Angel City FC, an NWSL team.
Images for kids
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Holiday playing with the U.S. women's national soccer team in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Lauren Holiday para niños
- List of American and Canadian soccer champions
- List of Olympic medalists in football
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
- List of UCLA alumni
