Tina Frimpong Ellertson facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christina Jo Frimpong Ellertson | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | May 20, 1982 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vancouver, Washington, United States | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender, striker | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Seattle Sounders Women | 8 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Saint Louis Athletica | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Atlanta Beat | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | magicJack | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Portland Thorns FC | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | United States U-21 | |||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | United States | 34 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2018 | King's Way Christian HS | |||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Portland Thorns FC U-17 | |||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Washington Huskies (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Christina Jo Frimpong Ellertson (née Frimpong; born May 20, 1982) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who played as a defender for the United States women's national soccer team.
Contents
Early life
Frimpong Ellertson was born and grew up in Vancouver, Washington. The daughter of Eka, a Nigerian mother and Joe, a Ghanaian father who migrated to the United States, Frimpong Ellertson played soccer throughout her childhood.
Collegiate career
Frimpong Ellertson originally signed to attend Santa Clara Broncos, but instead went to Washington Huskies closer to home after giving birth to her first daughter, MacKenzie, at age 18.
As a striker for the Huskies, Frimpong Ellertson was one of the best players in school history. She was twice named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, led the team to its first ever Elite Eight, and remains its all-time leading scorer. Frimpong Ellertson was inducted into the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Fame in 2022.
Playing career
Club
On September 16, 2008, Frimpong Ellertson was one of the three players drafted for Saint Louis Athletica in the Women's Professional Soccer allocation of national team members, with the new league starting in April 2009. Frimpong Ellertson was a consistently solid presence in the Athletica back line, logging 1748 minutes for the season, the most on the team. She played as team captain whenever Lori Chalupny was not on the field, made the All-Star team and was nominated for WPS's Defender of the Year award.
When Saint Louis folded in May 2010, Frimpong Ellertson moved to Atlanta Beat alongside teammates Hope Solo and Eniola Aluko. After 16 games and two goals for the Beat, Frimpong Ellertson left by mutual consent in February 2011. She moved to a new franchise, magicJack, and quickly became a cornerstone of the team's defense, producing notable performances against Marta and Kelly Smith.
Frimpong Ellertson has also played previously for the Seattle Sounders of the W-League.
In February 2013, Frimpong Ellertson was chosen in the first round of the National Women's Soccer League's supplemental draft by Portland Thorns FC, despite having stated that she would not be playing in the league. Nevertheless, she ultimately joined the Thorns a few months later, on July 31, after being repeatedly approached by Coach Cindy Parlow Cone. Frimpong Ellertson made five appearances for the Thorns, including an appearance as a substitute during the team's victory in the inaugural NWSL Championship match.
In February 2014, Frimpong Ellertson announced that she was retiring from the Thorns to focus on coaching and her family.
International
After April Heinrichs's reign as coach, Frimpong Ellertson tried out for the women's national soccer team, and earned her first cap against Ukraine on July 10, 2005. New coach Greg Ryan moved her to defender. She was named to the U.S. roster for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and competed against Nigeria during group stage, against Brazil in the infamous semi-final in which Hope Solo was benched in favor of more experienced Briana Scurry, and against Norway in a 4–1 win in the third-place playoff match.
On December 13, 2008, at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, Frimpong Ellertson scored her only international goal against China in her final USWNT game, and in her only start at forward; a 1–0 game winner.
| 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 |
| 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 | |
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NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player |
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Goal |
Date | Location | Opponent | Lineup | Min | Assist/pass | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-12-13 | Carson | China PR | 61 | Amy Rodriguez |
1–0 |
1–0 |
Friendly |
Coaching career
Frimpong Ellertson began coaching while she was still playing. She was most recently an assistant coach at her alma mater Washington Huskies from 2020 to 2023.
Personal life
Frimpong Ellertson married Brad Ellertson, with whom she had two daughters, MacKenzie (born 2000) and Mya (born 2008), and a son Mason (born 2015). Before her marriage, she played under her maiden name, Frimpong. Her twin sister, Crystal Frimpong, played soccer at the University of Florida.
Frimpong Ellertson's eldest daughter, MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson, plays at the University of Portland.
