Chloe Ricketts

Last updated

Chloe Ricketts
NC Courage vs Washington Spirit (Nov 2024) 007 (Ricketts).jpg
Ricketts with the Washington Spirit in 2024
Personal information
Full name Chloe Cathleen Ricketts [1]
Date of birth (2007-05-23) May 23, 2007 (age 18) [2]
Height 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Position(s) Midfielder, forward
Team information
Current team
 Washington Spirit
Number 39
Youth career
2017–2018 Michigan Hawks
2020–2022 Michigan Tigers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022 AFC Ann Arbor 11 (2)
2023– Washington Spirit 22 (0)
International career‡
2025– United States U20 3 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 2, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of June 6, 2025

Chloe Cathleen Ricketts (born May 23, 2007) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder or forward for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was the first player to use the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism when she signed with the Spirit at age 15 in 2023.

Contents

Early life

Ricketts grew up in Dexter, Michigan. [2] In 2017 and 2018, she won back-to-back state championships with the Michigan Hawks. [3] She later became a regular player for a boys' team, the Michigan Tigers, where she won multiple state and regional championships, culminating with the under-15 US Youth Soccer National Championships in 2022. [4] [5] She also played ECNL soccer for Solar SC and GA soccer for the Michigan Jaguars. [3] [6]

Ricketts played for AFC Ann Arbor in the 2022 USL W League season, becoming the club's youngest-ever player in the league at age 14. [4] [7] She became the youngest player to score in the USL W League, netting 2 goals in 11 appearances. [8] [9] Before signing with the Washington Spirit, she was the 25th-best prospect in TopDrawerSoccer 's rankings of 2025 college recruiting class. [10]

Club career

Washington Spirit

2023 season

Washington Spirit general manager Mark Krikorian invited Ricketts to the team's training camp in the 2023 preseason. [11] He said she "came in and she competed very, very well from the beginning and had an edge to her". [11] On March 2, 2023, at the age of 15 years and 283 days, Ricketts signed her first professional contract with the Spirit, penning a three-year deal with an option to extend an additional year. [12] It was the first signing under the NWSL's recently introduced Under-18 Entry Mechanism, a process established several years after Olivia Moultrie's antitrust lawsuit against the league for its minimum age requirement. [13] Ricketts was briefly the youngest player to sign in the NWSL, surpassing Moultrie's record, before Melanie Barcenas joined the San Diego Wave later in the month. [14]

Ricketts made her professional debut on April 15, 2023, playing 24 minutes off the bench and recording a shot attempt during a 2–1 win against the North Carolina Courage. [15] [16] On July 28, she scored her first professional goal in the NWSL Challenge Cup against Gotham FC, the last in a 4–2 win. Ashley Hatch fed Ricketts a through ball that she tapped in with her left foot, which made her the youngest NWSL player to score a goal at 16 years and 2 months, surpassing Moultrie. [17] She made 17 appearances (7 starts) in all competitions in the 2023 season, logging 615 minutes. [18] The Spirit placed eighth in the league, one point below the playoff line, and head coach Mark Parsons was fired after the season. [19]

2024 season

Ricketts's playing time dried up the following season under new coaches Adrián González and Jonatan Giráldez. She made only four appearances, totaling 20 minutes on the field, in the 2024 season. [20] [21] She was on the bench for the 2024 NWSL Championship, where the second-place Spirit lost 1–0 to the NWSL Shield–winning Orlando Pride. [22]

2025 season

Ricketts playing for the Spirit in 2025 Houston Dash vs Washington Spirit (Mar 2025) 09.jpg
Ricketts playing for the Spirit in 2025

On March 7, 2025, with the squad depleted by injuries, Ricketts started and played 61 minutes in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup against the Orlando Pride. [23] She was the youngest NWSL player to start a final. [24] After a 1–1 draw, Washington won the championship rematch 4–2 on penalties. [23] The following week, she made her third career regular-season start in the season opener, a 2–1 win over the Houston Dash. [25] She possibly scored the winning goal with a shot that struck the crossbar, but it was officially credited to Ashley Hatch who finished off the rebound. [21] On June 25, the Spirit announced that Ricketts's fourth-year contract option had been declined, making her a free agent for the 2026 season. [26]

On August 19, in her first appearance since May, she scored a goal in the Spirit's continental debut, a 7–0 away win over Salvadoran club Alianza in the 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup group stage. [27]

International career

Ricketts trained with the United States under-15 and under-16 teams in 2022. [28] [29] Three years later, she trained with the under-18 team before making her under-20 debut at the 2025 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. [30] [31]

Off the field

Endorsements

In March 2023, at age 15, Ricketts signed a multiyear endorsement deal with the sportswear company Adidas, becoming the youngest American female soccer player to do so. [32]

Honors and awards

Washington Spirit

References

  1. ↑ "This is Chloe Ricketts – #39 Soccer/Futsal". Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Chloe Ricketts". Washington Spirit. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Chloe Ricketts Past and Present Teams". chloericketts.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "'Best player in the world': AFC Ann Arbor soccer teen has lofty career goals". MLive Media Group. May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ "2022 National Championships: Finals Recap". United States Youth Soccer Association. July 24, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ Clark, Travis (March 3, 2023). "Ricketts Signs with Washington Spirit". TopDrawerSoccer.com . Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  7. ↑ Makuch, Ryan (January 11, 2022). "Chloe Ricketts Becomes Youngest Player to Join AFC Ann Arbor at 14". AFC Ann Arbor . Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ "USL W League Fans' Choice Goal of the Week – Week 1+2". USL W League. May 18, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ "AFC Ann Arbor - 2022 Regular Season - Player Statistics". USL W League . Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  10. ↑ Clark, Travis (March 3, 2023). "Ricketts Signs with Washington Spirit". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Maese, Rick; Brockway, Ella (June 7, 2024). "As teens swarm women's soccer, 'we have to be really careful'". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Washington Spirit Signs Youngest-Ever Player to NWSL Contract". Washington Spirit. March 3, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  13. ↑ Greenberg, Doug (March 7, 2023). "Chloe Ricketts, 15, Becomes Youngest Signed Player in NWSL History". Front Office Sports. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Melanie Barcenas youngest player ever to sign with NWSL team". Associated Press. March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  15. ↑ Wickliffe, Greg (April 17, 2023). "Michigan teen soccer star Chloe Ricketts nearly scores in NWSL debut with Washington Spirit". mlive.com . Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Spirit win, 2-1, unbeaten through three games for second time in franchise history". Washington Spirit. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Recap: Spirit prevails, 4-2, in comeback victory versus Gotham FC". Washington Spirit. July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Chloe Ricketts 2023 Match Logs". FBref.com . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  19. ↑ Umaña, José. "Washington Spirit fires Mark Parsons after 1 season". WTOP-FM . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  20. ↑ Floyd, Thomas (March 7, 2025). "In title game rematch, Spirit rallies to top Pride for Challenge Cup crown". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  21. 1 2 Elliott, Annie (June 26, 2025). "Washington Spirit decline Chloe Ricketts's option for 2026, other roster updates". The District Press. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Chloe Ricketts 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  23. 1 2 3 "Recap: Short-Handed Spirit Wins 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup". Washington Spirit. March 7, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  24. ↑ OptaJack⚽️ [@OptaJack] (March 8, 2025). "17-288 - At 17 years, 288 days old Friday, @WashSpirit's Chloe Ricketts became the youngest player ever to start a final (all competitions) for an #NWSL team. Primetime" (Tweet). Retrieved June 25, 2025– via Twitter.
  25. ↑ Brockway, Ella (March 14, 2025). "Spirit opens by taking all three points on the road in Houston". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Washington Spirit Announces Midseason Roster Updates". Washington Spirit. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  27. ↑ Elliott, Annie (April 20, 2025). "Four things (we loved) about Washington Spirit's 7–0 win over Alianza FC". The District Press. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  28. ↑ "U.S. under-15 women's youth national team will bring 36 players to March training camp in Chula Vista, Calif" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. March 14, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  29. ↑ "U.S. under-16 women's youth national team set to gather at Nike Headquarters in Portland, Oregon" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. October 18, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Washington Spirit's Chloe Ricketts Called Up to U.S. Under-18 Women's Youth National Team". Washington Spirit. March 27, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  31. ↑ "U.S. Under-20 WNT Downs Puerto Rico 3-1 in Second Match of 2025 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship and Qualifies for 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  32. ↑ Johncox, Cassidy (March 29, 2023). "Dexter teen becomes youngest professional female soccer player to sign with adidas". clickondetroit.com. WDIV-TV . Retrieved March 29, 2023.
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