Over the weekend the National Women’s Soccer League started its 13th regular season, marking the 19th year of top-flight women’s soccer in the US (together with the WPS and WUSA that came before it). As is typical for an ever-expanding, aspirational league that still sees itself as a “scrappy startup”, the new year set off with myriad changes, milestones, and hopes for another historic year. There are certainly signs they’ll get that.
Amid the early indications of the same dominant teams returning, marquee stars scoring again and a competition staying fierce across the table, the opening weekend featured one notable benchmark that is worth extra consideration: a 14-year-old debutant for Gotham.
McKenna “Mak” Whitham replaced Esther González in stoppage time of Gotham’s 1-1 draw with Seattle Reign, making history in front of 8,467 fans in Seattle when she did so. After previously setting the record as NWSL’s youngest signing at the age of 13, Whitham is now the youngest player to appear in the NWSL regular season, debuting at the age of 14 years and eight months.
Whitham’s remarkable achievement came after she impressed Gotham as a non-rostered player in 2024, scoring a last-minute goal to send the club to the Women’s Cup final in Colombia. That summer, she signed a contract one day short of her 14th birthday and became the youngest player to appear in a first-team game just days later, coming off the bench in a 2-1 win against Washington Spirit in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. Off the field, Whitham has also made history as the youngest player to sign a name, image and likeness (Nil) deal with Nike.
In a broader sense, Whitham’s early entry into the professional ranks are part of a trend. NWSL’s previous 18+ age restriction was struck down by the Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie’s antitrust lawsuit in 2021. Moultrie and other promising teenage talents, such as the recently signed Courage player Jaedyn Shaw, entered the league below the age of 18 in the aftermath. The ensuing under-18 entry mechanism, officially launched in November 2022, has allowed for Whitham and others to turn professional at younger and younger ages, but with rules and guidelines in place to ensure their safety and care.
The impact of those young talents was felt across opening weekend. In addition to Whitham’s debut, Moultrie (now 19) scored Portland’s only goal in a 3-1 defeat against Kansas City. Riley Jackson, also 19 and who signed for North Carolina Courage at 17 years old in 2023, scored North Carolina’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville. And the 18-year-old Emeri Adames found the net for Seattle in their draw with Gotham – the game in which the 14-year-old Whitham debuted.
Yet while her talents are clear and achievements historic, some have wondered if the player’s best interests are looked after by such an early debut. Fourteen is notably younger than even 18, or 17, and only time will tell how Whitham progresses, and what impact her early entry will have on her growth. The physical, mental or emotional gap between Whitham and her peers in NWSL could prove vast. The player has insisted she’s prepared for the challenge. To support her, among other things, NWSL’s U18 entry mechanism requires its young players to live with a parent or guardian in the local area. It also stipulates paediatric medical care and specified development plans.
The Gotham general manager, Yael Averbuch West, a former player herself, said Whitham’s entry into the league has come with careful consideration. At the time of her signing, in July 2024, she had said: “The on-the-field is the easiest part of this, I think, and the quickest for us to kind of evaluate and know how to support her. But we’ve undertaken a really robust process in terms of making sure that this is the right thing in her life, socially, mentally and in every possible way.”
Gotham’s manager, Juan Carlos Amorós, has emphasised that she’s just ready to play. Whitham told ESPN after her debut that Amorós had instructed her to “enjoy the game and just be you” before she ran onto the field and into the fray of whatever fate she can shape in American top-flight soccer.
after newsletter promotion
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email [email protected]