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Michelle Cooper (soccer)
Michelle Ivory Cooper (born December 4, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played two years of college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils, winning the Hermann Trophy as a sophomore, and was picked second overall by the Current in the 2023 NWSL Draft. She represented the United States at the youth international level. Early life and college careerCooper was born in Detroit and raised in Clarkston, Michigan. She attended IMG Academy in Florida, captaining the soccer team in her junior and senior seasons. She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the 18th-best recruit of the 2021 class.[3] Duke Blue DevilsCooper led the Duke Blue Devils with 12 goals (the most by a freshman in program history) and added 5 assists in 18 games in her freshman season in 2021. In the NCAA tournament, she scored two goals in a 7–1 win against St. John's in the third round as Duke reached the national quarterfinals. She was named the TopDrawerSoccer National Freshman of the Year, first-team All-American, first-team All-ACC, and the ACC Freshman of the Year.[3] In her sophomore season, she had an even better year with 19 goals (second in the nation) and 11 assists. She scored the first goal in a 2–1 win against Virginia as Duke made the semifinals of the ACC tournament. In the NCAA tournament, she scored a tournament-joint-high 6 goals through three braces, including in a 3–2 quarterfinal loss to Alabama. She was recognized as first-team All-American, first-team All-ACC, and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and became the first Duke Blue Devil to receive the Hermann Trophy as the best player in college soccer.[3] After two seasons in Durham, she registered for the 2023 NWSL Draft, giving up remaining college eligibility.[4] Club careerKansas City CurrentKansas City Current drafted Cooper with the second-overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.[5] The Current had traded Lynn Williams to NJ/NY Gotham FC to acquire the pick. Cooper was signed a three-year contract.[6] She debuted on March 25, playing the full match in a 1–0 loss to the North Carolina Courage on opening day.[7] On May 17, she scored her first professional goal in a 3–2 loss to Racing Louisville FC in the NWSL Challenge Cup group stage.[8] On June 18, she scored the fastest goal from kickoff in NWSL history in the 22nd second of the Current's 3–2 loss to the Washington Spirit.[9] She finished her rookie regular season with 3 goals and 1 assist in 21 games (17 starts) as the Current placed 11th of 12 teams.[10] She also had 1 goals and 1 assist in 5 starts in the Challenge Cup, helping the Current reach the semifinals.[11] Cooper scored 1 goal and started all 5 games in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, helping the Current go undefeated to win the tournament.[12] She finished the 2024 regular season with 3 goals and 2 assists in 21 games (15 starts) as Kansas City placed fourth in the league.[13] She started both playoff games for the Current, assisting Debinha in a 3–2 loss to the Orlando Pride in the semifinals.[14] International careerCooper played for the United States youth national team at the under-16, under-18, under-19, and under-20 levels.[3] She led the United States to victory at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, earning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards[15] and making the Best XI team.[16] She was called up by Emma Hayes into Futures Camp, practicing alongside the senior national team, in January 2025.[17] Career statistics
Honors and awardsKansas City Current United States U20 Individual
References
External links
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