Nikki Washington facts for kids
Washington in August 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Madeline Nicole Washington | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 1, 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mesquite, Texas, United States | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward Right midfielder |
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| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Dallas Texans | |||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | North Carolina Tar Heels | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Pali Blues | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Los Angeles Sol | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Sky Blue FC | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Saint Louis Athletica | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Chicago Red Stars | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | Boston Breakers | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | magicJack | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Pali Blues | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Canberra United | 5 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Portland Thorns FC | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Houston Dash | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Boston Breakers | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | United States U-20 | |||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | United States U-23 | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Madeline Nicole Washington (born August 1, 1988), known as Nikki Washington, is a former professional soccer player from the United States. She played as a forward and right midfielder. Nikki last played for the Boston Breakers in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
After retiring from playing, she became an assistant coach for the women's soccer team at the University of Washington. She also played for other teams like the Chicago Red Stars, magicJack, Portland Thorns FC, and Houston Dash. Nikki was the captain of the U.S. Under-20 team that won the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
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Early Life and Youth Soccer
Nikki Washington was born in Mesquite, Texas. Her parents are Freida and Lecolion Washington. She was named after her grandmother and has two brothers and one sister.
She attended Greenhill School for her first two years of high school. Later, she transferred to Spring Creek Academy. In 2003, she was named the Dallas Area Freshman of the Year. She also made the All-Conference team in both 2003 and 2004. Nikki graduated from high school a year early in 2005. She was also recognized as a Parade All-American.
As a young player, Washington played for the Dallas Texans youth team. She led the '88 Texans team to win the 2006 USYSA National Championship. She was also named an NSCAA Youth All-American three times, in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels
In 2006, Washington joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She played for the Tar Heels team. In her first year, she started all 28 matches, which was an NCAA record for a freshman. She was also named to the Freshman All-American team. By the end of her college career, she had scored 17 goals and made 28 assists.
Before her senior year at North Carolina, Washington played for Pali Blues. She scored six goals and had two assists for the team. The coach, Charlie Naimo, praised her experience. He noted her success in club championships, two NCAA titles, and leading the U.S. U20 team to a World Cup gold medal.
Professional Soccer Career
Playing in the WPS (2010–2011)
On January 15, 2010, Nikki Washington was chosen as the 5th overall pick in the 2010 WPS Draft. She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sol. This happened even though she had played only eight college games due to an injury. However, the Los Angeles Sol team closed down soon after.
On February 4, 2010, in a special draft for Sol players, Washington was picked by Sky Blue FC. But she did not sign a contract with Sky Blue. In May 2010, she was traded to the Saint Louis Athletica. Just one month later, Saint Louis Athletica also closed. So, she was traded again, this time to the Chicago Red Stars.
Before the 2011 season began, Washington was traded to the Boston Breakers. She played in five games for them. In June 2011, she was traded to magicJack.
Time with Pali Blues and Canberra United (2012)
After the WPS league stopped operating, Washington returned to play for Pali Blues. She joined the W-League team for the summer of 2012. She played in 11 games and helped the team stay undefeated in the regular season. The team won the Western Conference championship. They then went to the W-League Final Four. In the final game, Washington scored the first goal, but the Blues lost to the Ottawa Fury.
Later in 2012, Washington joined the Australian W-League team Canberra United FC. She played in five games and scored three goals. In a match against Perth Glory on December 5, she scored the winning goal in the 53rd minute.
Playing in the NWSL (2013–2015)
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In February 2013, it was announced that Washington had signed with the Portland Thorns. This was for the first season of the National Women's Soccer League. She played in 11 games for the Thorns during the 2013 season. She scored one goal and made two assists. The Thorns finished third in the regular season and made it to the playoffs. On August 21, they won the first-ever National Women's Soccer League championship. They defeated the Western New York Flash 2–0.
In January 2014, Washington was traded to a new team, the Houston Dash. The Dash coach, Randy Waldrum, said Nikki had amazing speed. He also noted she could play in many positions and was a strong attacking player. She played three games for the Dash before being traded back to the Boston Breakers. Washington played 15 matches and scored one goal for the Breakers in the 2014 season.
Nikki Washington announced she was retiring from professional soccer in February 2015. This was before the start of the 2015 season. The Breakers' general manager, Lee Billiard, thanked Nikki for her contributions. He said she was a fantastic professional and would be missed.
International Soccer Career
Washington was the captain of the U.S. Under-20 team. This team won the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She played for 65 minutes in the final match against North Korea. She was also a member of the U23 National Team in 2009.
Coaching and Other Roles
Nikki Washington co-founded a girls' soccer camp called Camp Foot Ballas with Casey Nogueira. In the summer of 2015, she joined the Texas Christian University women's soccer team. She worked there as the Director of Operations. She also coaches for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club. She briefly coached an 05 girls Texans team before moving to Washington.
In 2017, Washington became an assistant coach for the University of Washington's women's soccer team. In October 2020, it was announced that she joined the NWSL's Utah Royals as an assistant coach. She was the second Black female coach in the NWSL.
See also
- 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup squads
- List of foreign W-League (Australia) players
- List of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
