Jump to content

Kennedy Fuller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kennedy Fuller
Fuller with Angel City in 2025
Personal information
Full name Kennedy Linh Fuller[1]
Date of birth (2007-03-09) March 9, 2007 (age 19)[1]
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bay FC
Number 47
Youth career
2019–2023 Solar SC
2021–2023 Southlake Carroll Dragons
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024–2026 Angel City 56 (7)
2026– Bay FC 10 (1)
International career‡
2022 United States U-15 7 (12)
2023 United States U-16 3 (2)
2024 United States U-17 14 (13)
2025– United States U-20 12 (7)
Medal record
Women's soccer
Representing  United States
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2024 Dominican Republic
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of August 30, 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of September 16, 2026

Kennedy Linh Fuller (born March 9, 2007) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2023 and signed with Angel City FC at age 16 in 2024. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Early life

[edit]

Raised in Southlake, Texas, Fuller started out practicing gymnastics, winning a state championship in the sport, before taking up soccer when she was seven years old.[2] She decided to focus on soccer at age eleven and joined powerhouse club Solar SC.[2] With the club, she was named ECNL All-American and the U16 Conference Player of the Year in 2022.[3]

Fuller helped lead Carroll Senior High School to the UIL Class 6A state championship as a freshman in 2022, scoring a hat trick in the final.[4] She finished her freshman season with 26 goals and 14 assists and was named the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year and the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year.[5] She scored a school record 55 goals and added 26 assists as a sophomore while the team returned to the state final in 2023, and though she missed the end of the playoffs on international duty, she was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.[6] During her sophomore year, she committed to play college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels with the plan to graduate one year early.[7]

TopDrawerSoccer had ranked Fuller as the 3rd-best recruit in the class of 2025,[7] and after reclassifying, she was ranked the 7th-best recruit in the class of 2024.[8] After committing to North Carolina, she went on training stints with various professional clubs including the Washington Spirit, Kansas City Current, San Diego Wave, North Carolina Courage, Chelsea, and finally Angel City FC.[9] She also signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) contract with Nike.[10]

Club career

[edit]

Angel City

[edit]

Angel City FC announced on March 6, 2024, that they had signed Fuller to her first professional contract through the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism on a three-year deal with the option for another year.[11] She gave up her college eligibility and became the club's second-youngest signing after Casey Phair.[11] Later that month, on March 17, she made her professional debut in the season opener at BMO Stadium, starting and playing 90 minutes in a 1–0 loss to Bay FC, becoming the youngest player to play for Angel City.[12] On June 19, she scored her first professional goal in the 17th minute of the 3–2 home win over Racing Louisville.[13] She finished her rookie season with 1 goal in 19 league appearances.[14]

Fuller with Angel City in 2025

On March 16, 2025, Fuller began the season with her first professional assist, delivering a perfectly weighted ball for Alyssa Thompson's equalizer in a 1–1 draw with the San Diego Wave.[15] The next week, she scored her first goal of the season against the Portland Thorns, again a 1–1 draw.[16] The following week, she again assisted Thompson in a 2–1 win over the Seattle Reign, earning NWSL Assist of the Week.[17] After new head coach Alexander Straus arrived in the summer break, she was deployed in a more defensive midfield role for several games before returning to her usual attacking position.[18] On October 12, she scored in a 2–0 win over the Houston Dash to keep Angel City in the playoff hunt, winning NWSL Player of the Week for her performance.[19] She nearly doubled her playing time in her second season, appearing in all 26 games and scoring 4 goals.[20]

On March 15, 2026, Fuller became the seventh NWSL player to reach ten career goal contributions as a teenager, scoring a goal and assisting Evelyn Shores in a season-opening 4–0 win over the Chicago Stars.[21] The following week, she assisted Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir in a 3–1 victory over Bay FC as her team started the youngest winning eleven in NWSL history (23 years, 142 days).[22]

Bay FC

[edit]

On June 17, 2026, Fuller was traded to Bay FC alongside an international roster spot for US$500,000 in intraleague transfer funds and US$20,000 in allocation funds.[23] She debuted for the club in a 2–2 draw with the Boston Legacy on July 5.[24] The following week, she scored her first goal for Bay in a 2–0 victory over Racing Louisville, matching Mallory Swanson in fourth place for most NWSL goals as a teenager.[25]

International career

[edit]

Fuller made her international debut for the United States under-15 team in June 2022, scoring three times in two friendlies.[26] She then captained the United States to victory at the 2022 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship, leading the team with nine goals and being awarded the Golden Ball as the best player at the tournament.[27] In 2023, she led the under-16s to the title at the Montaigu Tournament.[28] She scored eight goals for the under-17 team at the 2024 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, winning the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer after helping the United States win their sixth championship.[29]

Fuller then led the United States to third place at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in the Dominican Republic, its best result since 2008.[30] She scored in three consecutive games against Colombia and South Korea in the group stage and Nigeria in the quarterfinals, leading the team to their first semifinal appearance since 2008.[31] After losing to North Korea in the semifinals, she had a goal and an assist against England to secure third place.[30] She finished the tournament having started all six games, captaining three matches, and leading the team in scoring with four goals with three assists, and was awarded the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top scorer.[32] She was one of five nominees for U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year alongside U-17 USWNT teammates Trinity Armstrong and Jordyn Bugg.[33]

Fuller made her under-20 debut at the 2025 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship,[34] scoring two goals and providing four assists in just two appearances.[35] According to a prior agreement, she returned to Angel City before the semifinals, where the United States without her lost to Canada to miss the CONCACAF U-20 final for the first time.[36] She captained the under-20s at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, scoring a hat trick against New Zealand to clinch a knockout berth.[37] Brazil eliminated the United States on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the round of 16.[38]

Personal life

[edit]

Fuller is the daughter of Kim and Kris Fuller.[9] She has a younger sister, Kamdyn, who plays for the TCU Horned Frogs, and a younger brother, Kolton.[9] She is of Vietnamese descent through her maternal grandmother.[39]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of May 2, 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Angel City FC 2024 NWSL 19 1 — 4[a] 1 23 2
2025 26 4 — — 26 4
2026 6 1 — — 6 1
Career total 51 6 0 0 4 1 55 7

Honors and awards

[edit]

United States U-15

United States U-17

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "National team roster – 2024 Concacaf Women's Under-17 Championship" (PDF). CONCACAF. January 29, 2024. p. 8. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Warner, Zach (February 1, 2024). "Fuller House". Southlake Style. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ "ECNL Girls All-America Teams". Elite Clubs National League. August 29, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
    "ECNL Girls 2021-22 Postseason Awards". Elite Clubs National League. August 26, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  4. ↑ Kretzschmar, Rick (April 16, 2022). "Southlake Carroll rolls past Rockwall to win 6A girls soccer state championship". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  5. ↑ Riddle, Greg (July 23, 2022). "Southlake Carroll's Kennedy Fuller named Gatorade Texas Girls Soccer Player of the Year". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ "2022 - 2023 Player of the Year - National Girls Soccer". Gatorade Player of the Year. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Riddle, Greg (September 29, 2022). "Southlake Carroll soccer star Kennedy Fuller commits to North Carolina, to graduate early". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  8. ↑ "2024 Women's DI Recruiting Ranks: December". TopDrawerSoccer. December 29, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Her Glass Is Always Fuller". United States Soccer Federation. February 3, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  10. ↑ Assimakopoulos, Lia (November 8, 2023). "Southlake Carroll's Kennedy Fuller signs with North Carolina, plans to forgo senior season". The Dallas Morning News.
  11. 1 2 "Angel City Signs USYNT U-17 Midfielder Kennedy Fuller". Angel City FC. March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Kennedy Fuller, 17, has strong pro debut for Angel City FC". Orange County Register. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Sydney Leroux's late goal gives Angel City a win over Racing Louisville". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Kennedy Fuller 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ Best, Katelyn (March 16, 2025). "Match Recap: Angel City 1, San Diego Wave 1 | 3.16.25". Angel City FC. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  16. ↑ Chavez, Michelle (March 22, 2025). "Kennedy Fuller earns Angel City's second point against the Portland Thorns". The Sporting Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (April 1, 2025). "Kennedy Fuller breaks 2 lines with her through ball to Alyssa Thompson 🤌" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  18. ↑ Calhoun, Damian (August 31, 2025). "Kennedy Fuller's evolution on the field continues for Angel City Football Club". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Angel City defeats Houston to stave off elimination from postseason contention". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 12, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
    National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (October 15, 2025). "The future pulled up early — and her name's Kennedy Fuller. 🚀" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  20. ↑ "Kennedy Fuller 2025 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  21. ↑ OptaJack (March 16, 2026). "10 - With a goal and an assist on Sunday ..." Bluesky. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ OptaJack (March 22, 2026). "23-142 - @angelcity.com's starting XI on Saturday ..." Bluesky. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Bay FC Acquire Midfielder Kennedy Fuller from Angel City FC". Bay FC. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  24. ↑ Miedema, Laurence (July 5, 2026). "Bay FC offense shows signs of life, but late goals lead to draw vs. Boston Legacy FC". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  25. ↑ OptaJack (July 11, 2026). "8 - Kennedy Fuller's goal for @bayfc.com on Friday was her eighth in the regular season". Bluesky. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  26. ↑ "U15 GNT Defeats Germany 3-1". United States Soccer Federation. June 15, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  27. 1 2 3 Hindle, Tom (August 8, 2022). "U15 GNT Wins CONCACAF Championship". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  28. ↑ "U.S. Under-16 Women's Youth National Team Wins Mondial Montaigu Tournament With 1-0 Victory Over Host France". United States Soccer Federation. April 9, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  29. 1 2 3 "Etienne, Fuller lead honors at Women's Under-17 Championship". CONCACAF. February 12, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  30. 1 2 3 "USA Defeats England 3–0 to Take Third Place at 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  31. ↑ "U.S. U-17 WYNT Reaches Semifinals for the First Time Since 2008 to Square Off With Korea DPR". United States Soccer Federation. October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  32. 1 2 "The Dominican Republic 2024 award winners". FIFA. November 4, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Nominees Set for 2024 U.S. Soccer End of Year Awards". United States Soccer Federation. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  34. ↑ "U.S. Under-20 WNT Opens 2025 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship with Dominating 8-0 Win over Guyana as Izzy Engle Scores Four Times". United States Soccer Federation. May 30, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  35. ↑ "U.S. Under-20 WNT Defeats Costa Rica 4-0 to Win Group A at 2025 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship". United States Soccer Federation. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  36. ↑ "U.S. Under-20 WNT Falls to Canada 1-0 in Semifinal of 2025 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship". United States Soccer Federation. June 6, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  37. ↑ "U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team Rout New Zealand 9-0 at 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to Qualify for the Round of 16". United States Soccer Federation. September 12, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  38. ↑ "U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team Falls to Brazil in Penalty Kicks in Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
  39. ↑ "World Stars in the Making: USA's midfield magician Fuller". FIFA. October 29, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
[edit]