Alanna Kennedy

Last updated

Alanna Kennedy
Alanna Kennedy WSW.jpg
Kennedy greets Western Sydney Wanderers' fans
Personal information
Full name Alanna Stephanie Kennedy [1]
Date of birth (1995-01-21) 21 January 1995 (age 27)
Place of birth Campbelltown, Australia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) [2]
Position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Manchester City
Number 33
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2010–2011 Sydney FC 1 (0)
2011–2012 Newcastle Jets 9 (1)
2012–2013 Sydney FC 12 (3)
2013–2014 Western Sydney Wanderers 9 (1)
2014–2015 Perth Glory 13 (2)
2015–2017 Sydney FC 24 (3)
2016 Western New York Flash 17 (0)
2017–2020 Orlando Pride 60 (8)
2017–2018 → Melbourne City (loan) 14 (1)
2018–2020 → Sydney FC (loan) 22 (3)
2020 → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 9 (0)
2021 Tottenham Hotspur 10 (1)
2021– Manchester City 14 (1)
National team‡
2008–2009 Australia U-17 10 (6)
2011–2014 Australia U-20 3 (0)
2012– Australia 107 (8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 May 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 April 2022

Alanna Stephanie Kennedy (born 21 January 1995) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Manchester City in the English FA Women's Super League, as well as the Australia national team. [3] Kennedy is recognized as being a versatile, technical player and is a right-footed free kick specialist. [2] Known on the international level as a centre back, Kennedy also plays in the midfielder position. [4]

Contents

Early life

Kennedy was raised in the Sydney suburb of Rosemeadow and attended primary school at Rosemeadow Public and selective sports school Westfields Sports High School. [5] [6] As a youth, she was the only girl on an all-boys team [7] and later played for the Campbelltown Cobras. [8] She trained with the Girls Skills Acquisition Program (GSAP) at MacArthur Rams. Kennedy acknowledged the Rams training ground as her "second home" growing up. [9]

Club career

Kennedy (right) and Andi Sullivan fight for the ball in a match between Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride on 23 June 2018. Andi Sullivan & Alanna Kennedy.jpg
Kennedy (right) and Andi Sullivan fight for the ball in a match between Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride on 23 June 2018.

W-League Beginnings, 2010–15

Kennedy started her W-league career playing for Sydney FC in the 2010–11 season, where she featured in 3 games. The following year, Kennedy switched clubs and joined the Newcastle Jets in the 2011–12 W-League before returning to Sydney FC in the 2012–13 season. For the 2013–14 season, she joined city rivals Western Sydney Wanderers. [10] and in the 2014 season she joined Perth Glory. [11] In 2015, she returned to Sydney FC and would remain there the following 2 seasons.

Western New York Flash and Orlando Pride, 2016–20

In 2016, Kennedy signed with the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League. She appeared in 17 games for the Flash in 2016. Kennedy played every minute of Western New York's two playoff games, as the Flash won the 2016 NWSL Championship. [12]

Kennedy heads the ball during an Orlando Pride match, May 2018 Alanna Kennedy (42645297242).jpg
Kennedy heads the ball during an Orlando Pride match, May 2018

On 19 January 2017, Kennedy was traded to the Orlando Pride in exchange for midfielder Sam Witteman. [13] She appeared in every game for the Pride in 2017. In the final game of the regular season on 30 September, Kennedy scored the game-winning goal on a free kick in stoppage time. This win allowed Orlando to finish the regular season in 3rd place and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in club history. [14] In the semi-final, Kennedy scored again but Orlando lost 4–1 to the Portland Thorns.

In the 2018 NWSL season, Kennedy appeared in 20 games and scored 2 goals; however, Orlando could not repeat their success of 2017 and finished outside the playoffs. [15]

In March 2020, the impending NWSL season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. An eventual restart was made through a smaller schedule 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament. [16] [17] However, on 22 June, Orlando withdrew from the tournament following positive COVID-19 tests among both players and staff. [18]

Melbourne City FC, 2017–18

Kennedy joined Melbourne City on loan for the 2017–18 W-League season. [19] During the 2017–2018 season, Kennedy was named to the Westfield W-League's "Team of the Decade", which was composed of the best XI players to ever play in the W-League, as voted for by the fans. [20]

Sydney FC, 2017–20

After spending one season at Melbourne City, Kennedy signed with Sydney FC for the 2018–19 W-League season, returning to the club she had played at for four previous seasons. [21] On 16 February 2019 Kennedy won her third W-league Championship title with a 4–2 win over Perth Glory in the grand final. She re-signed with Sydney FC for the 2019–20 season. [22] The team returned to the grand final in 2020 but lost to Melbourne City 1–0. [23]

Tottenham Hotspur, 2020–21

In August, having been unable to feature for Orlando Pride in 2020 due to COVID-19 related issues, Kennedy moved to English FA WSL club Tottenham Hotspur on a six-month loan ahead of the 2020–21 season, with an option to make the move permanent. [24]

On 12 November 2020, while on loan at Tottenham, Kennedy's NWSL playing rights were acquired by Racing Louisville FC in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. [25] Upon the expiration of her loan and NWSL contract in December 2020, Kennedy instead opted to remain in England and sign permanently with Tottenham until the end of the season. [26]

Kennedy was released by Tottenham on 25 May 2021. [27]

Manchester City, 2021–

At the end of August 2021, Kennedy signed a two-year deal with Manchester City, [28] joining national team-mate Hayley Raso. [29]

International career

Kennedy debuted for the Matildas against New Zealand in 2012. [30] In 2014, at age 19, she was named to the Matildas squad for the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. She appeared in three games, as Australia finished runner-up to Japan.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

In May 2015, Kennedy was named to Australia's 23-player roster for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and was the second youngest player on their roster. Kennedy appeared in all five matches for Australia. The Matildas finished second in their group and advanced to the knockout stage. They defeated Brazil in round 16 but lost to Japan in the quarter-finals. [31]

2016 Summer Olympics

Kennedy attended her first Olympic Games in 2016. She played every minute of Australia's four matches at Rio 2016. Their quarter-final match against Brazil was tied 0–0 after extra time and went to penalties. Kennedy was the final penalty taker for Australia; she did not score her penalty and Brazil won the match 7–6 on penalties. [32]

Kennedy was part of the Matildas squad that won the 2017 Tournament of Nations and defeated the United States for the first time ever. [33] At the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup Kennedy scored two goals for Australia. The second goal she scored was a stoppage time equalizer against Thailand in the Semi-final. Australia went on to win the game in penalties. Australia lost to Japan 1–0 in the final. [34]

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

In May 2019, Kennedy was named to the Matildas squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, the second time she was included in a World Cup squad. [35] At the World Cup, Kennedy started all four of Australia's matches. In the Round of 16 tie against Norway, Kennedy received a straight red card in the 104th minute of extra-time for a DOGSO foul on Lisa-Marie Utland. Australia went on to lose on penalties and were eliminated. [36]

2020 Summer Olympics

Kennedy was a member of the Matildas Tokyo 2020 Olympics squad. The Matildas qualified for the quarter-finals and beat Great Britain before being eliminated in the semi-final with Sweden. In the playoff for the Bronze medal they were beaten by the USA. [37]

Career statistics

International goals

As of match played 30 July 2021. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kennedy goal.

Goal		DateLocationOpponentScoreResultCompetition
12 March 2016 Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 3–09–0 2016 Olympics qualifying
29 August 2016 Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 3–06–1 2016 Summer Olympics
37 March 2017VRS António Sports Complex, Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 3–03–2 2017 Algarve Cup
410 April 2018 Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 2–08–0 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup
517 April 2018 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 2–22–2
62 August 2018 Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois, USA Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 1–02–0 2018 Tournament of Nations
76 March 2019 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 2–03–0 2019 Cup of Nations
830 July 2021 Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1–04–3 2020 Summer Olympics

Honours

Club

Sydney FC

Alanna Kennedy in action at 2017 Algarve Cup.jpeg

Perth Glory

Western New York Flash

Melbourne City

Manchester City

International

Individual

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydia Williams</span> Australian soccer player

Lydia Grace Yilkari Williams is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for French Division 1 Féminine club Paris Saint-Germain and the Australia national team.

Ashleigh Sykes is an Australian international football player, who plays for Canberra United FC in the W-League (Australia) and has previously played for Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyah Simon</span> Australian international footballer

Kyah Pam Simon is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Tottenham Hotspur of the FA Women's Super League. In 2011, Simon became the first Indigenous Australian player to score a goal in a FIFA Women's World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Kerr</span> Australian football player

Samantha May Kerr is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chelsea in the FA Women's Super League and the Australia women's national team, which she has captained since 2019. As of 2022, Kerr is the all-time leading Australian international scorer, and is the all-time leading scorer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States. She is the only female football player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues and three different continents – the W-League in 2017–18 and 2018–19, the NWSL in 2017, 2018, 2019 and the FAWSL (Europe) in 2020–21 and 2021–22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Brock</span> Australian soccer player

Laura Colleen Gloria Brock is an Australian soccer player who plays for EA Guingamp in the Division 1 Féminine. She made her debut for the national team in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily van Egmond</span> Australian soccer player

Emily Louise van Egmond is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for San Diego Wave FC and the Australia women's national team. She previously played for German side 1. FFC Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, Danish side Fortuna Hjørring in the Elitedivisionen, Chicago Red Stars and Orlando Pride in the NWSL, West Ham United in the FA Women's Super League, as well as Canberra United, Western Sydney Wanderers, Newcastle Jets and Melbourne City in Australia's W-League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caitlin Foord</span> Australian international football (soccer) player

Caitlin Jade Foord is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for FA Women's Super League club Arsenal and the Australia national team, the Matildas. She became the youngest Australian to play at a World Cup when she represented Australia at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup at the age of 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steph Catley</span> Australian soccer player

Stephanie-Elise Catley is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Arsenal and the Australia national team. She can play in many positions in defence, such as left-back, centre-back or sweeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katrina Gorry</span> Australian soccer player

Katrina-Lee Gorry is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Vittsjö GIK in the Damallsvenskan. and for the Australia women's national team. She was the 2014 AFC Women's Player of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teigen Allen</span> Australian soccer player

Teigen Jacqueline Allen is an Australian soccer player who plays for Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League Australia women's national soccer team. She previously played for W-League teams Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers, and Melbourne Victory as well as the Western New York Flash in the American National Women's Soccer League and Vålerenga in the Norwegian Toppserien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Logarzo</span> Australian soccer player

Chloe Logarzo is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Western United in the A-League Women on loan from Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League and the Australia women's national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelina Zadorsky</span> Canadian soccer player

Shelina Laura Zadorsky is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for FA Women's Super League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Canada national team. She previously played for Australian W-League club Perth Glory and Swedish top-division club Vittsjö GIK. Zadorsky won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chioma Ubogagu</span> English footballer

Chioma Grace Ubogagu is an English professional footballer who plays mainly as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Women's Super League. She previously played for Orlando Pride, Brisbane Roar, Houston Dash, Arsenal, and Real Madrid. Ubogagu played collegiate soccer for Stanford University and was capped at various youth levels for the United States, winning the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Carpenter</span> Australian international football (soccer) player

Ellie Madison Carpenter is an Australian footballer who plays as a defender for French club Olympique Lyonnais and the Australia national team. She previously played for Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia's W-League and Portland Thorns FC in the United States' National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Pickett</span> American soccer player

Carson Leighann Pickett is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for North Carolina Courage of the NWSL and the United States national team.

Claire Emslie is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward for Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States of America, and the Scotland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Orlando Pride season</span> Orlando Pride 2019 football season

The 2019 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's fourth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. The team played its home games at Exploria Stadium, renamed from Orlando City Stadium on June 4, 2019. Following the departure of Tom Sermanni at the end of the 2018 season, Marc Skinner was announced as his replacement in January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Orlando Pride season</span> Orlando Pride 2020 football season

The 2020 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's fifth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ally Watt</span> American soccer player

Alleandra "Ally" Morgan Watt is an American professional soccer player who currently plays as a forward for Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for North Carolina Courage, Melbourne City, and OL Reign. She has represented the United States on the under-23 and under-20 national teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Orlando Pride season</span> Orlando Pride 2021 football season

The 2021 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's sixth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 – Squad list: Australia" (PDF). FIFA . 5 August 2021. p. 1. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 – Players – Alanna Kennedy". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Shaffer, Kristen (10 November 2016). "Moving forward for Alanna Kennedy". The Women's Game. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Torres, Luis. "Orlando Pride's Alanna Kennedy thrives in new midfielder role". orlandosentinel.com.
  5. ↑ "Alanna Kennedy: Matildas star now giving back". South West Voice. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Tullis, Ashleigh (28 July 2016). "Macarthur soccer star shoots for gold". Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser.
  7. ↑ "Matilda Alanna Kennedy's dreams unfold out west". Daily Examiner. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Rosemeadow Matilda Alanna Kennedy announced as Macarthur FC ambassador". Advertiser. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Layt, Jess (29 June 2020). "Matilda Alanna Kennedy thrilled Australia wins World Cup bid". Liverpool City Champion. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Wanderers announce strong squad for upcoming W-League season". The Women's Game. 10 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "Perth Glory announce signing of six Matildas". The Women's Game. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Scavuzzo, Diane (26 February 2016). "WNY Flash sign Australian defender". SoccerToday. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "Orlando Pride Acquires Australia National Team Defender Alanna Kennedy". Orlando City SC. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Purdy, Jacqueline (30 September 2018). "Alanna Kennedy's FK stoppage-time stunner lifts Pride to 3–2 win over Courage". NWSLsoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "A.Kennedy". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  16. ↑ "NWSL, CPL delay start of 2020 seasons due to Covid-19". SportBusiness. 21 March 2020.
  17. ↑ "NWSL announces 2020 Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret". www.nwslsoccer.com.
  18. ↑ "Orlando Pride Statement Regarding 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Participation". www.orlandocitysc.com.
  19. ↑ Davutovic, David (25 October 2017). "Melbourne City caps off W-League signing spree with international duo Alanna Kennedy and Yukari Kinga". Herald Sun .
  20. ↑ "Revealed! The Westfield W-League Team of the Decade". W-League.com.au. Football Federation Australia. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  21. ↑ Greco, John (5 September 2018). "Kennedy's back as Sydney FC sign six Westfield Matildas". W-League.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "Sydney FC Unveil Championship Defending Westfield W-League Squad". Sydney FC.
  23. ↑ "Catley strike seals Melbourne City's record fourth Westfield W-League Championship". Westfield W-League. 21 March 2020.
  24. ↑ "Kennedy and Zadorsky loans". Tottenham Hotspur. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021.
  25. ↑ "Louisville drafts Orlando Pride's Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Foord". Orlando Sentinel. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "Alanna Kennedy signs permanent deal". Tottenham Hotspur. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  27. ↑ Brady, Eve (25 May 2021). "Spurs confirm the departure of eleven senior players". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  28. ↑ Fisher, Bethany (27 August 2021). "Alanna Kennedy: Matildas defender signs for Man City". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "Alanna Kennedy: Manchester City sign Australia defender on two-year deal". Sky Sports. 27 August 2021.
  30. ↑ "Westfield Matildas complete miraculous escape". Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012.
  31. ↑ "Westfield Matildas name World Cup squad". myfootball.com.au. Football Federation Australia. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  32. ↑ "Brazil VS. Australia 0 – 0". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  33. ↑ "Australian women beat U.S. in Tournament of Nations". USA Today. Associated Press. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  34. ↑ "Women's Asian Cup". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  35. ↑ "Matildas squad for 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup announced". Australian Olympic Committee. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  36. ↑ Pender, Kieran (22 June 2019). "Norway won the shootout 4–1 after a 1–1 draw, with Elise Kellond-Knight cancelling out Isabell Herlovsen's opener before Alanna Kennedy was sent off in extra time". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  37. ↑ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  38. ↑ "Kennedy and Kerr nominated for FIFPro World XI". The Women's Game. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  39. ↑ "IFFHS WOMAN TEAM – AFC – OF THE DECADE 2011–2020". IFFHS. 30 January 2021.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.