Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Taylor Nicole Smith [1] | ||
Date of birth | December 1, 1993 | ||
Place of birth | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | ||
Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | NJ/NY Gotham FC | ||
Number | 20 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2012–2015 | UCLA Bruins | 87 | (27) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016 | Western New York Flash | 20 | (2) |
2017 | North Carolina Courage | 26 | (0) |
2018 | Washington Spirit | 23 | (0) |
2018 | → Newcastle Jets (loan) | 6 | (0) |
2019–2020 | OL Reign | 3 | (0) |
2021–2022 | North Carolina Courage | 17 | (0) |
2022– | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 22 | (3) |
2024 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2010 | United States U17 | ||
2011 | United States U20 | ||
2014–2016 | United States U23 | ||
2017– | United States | 10 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of February 4, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 7, 2018 |
Taylor Nicole Smith (born December 1, 1993) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). [2] She also played for the United States national team at both senior and youth levels. Smith helped lead the UCLA Bruins women's soccer team to its first-ever national title in 2013.
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Smith attended Fort Worth Country Day School where she captained the varsity soccer team for three years. [1] She also played field hockey and ran track and field. [1] Smith earned conference honors in both soccer and track. She was ranked as the eighth top national college recruit by Top Drawer Soccer and ESPN. Top Drawer Soccer ranked her as the top recruit in the state of Texas and she was twice named Youth All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). [1] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram named Smith to their Super Team twice. [1]
Smith played club soccer for Solar Chelsea. She helped the LA Blues win the USL W-League title in 2014. [1]
Smith attended UCLA where she played for the Bruins from 2012 to 2015. [1] During her freshman season, she played in all 23 games, starting 17. Her three goals ranked eighth in the Pac-12 Conference and 20 points ranked tenth in points. Smith was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Top Drawer Soccer All-Freshman Team. [1] During her sophomore season, her 8 goals ranked second on the team. Her 11 assists and 26 points both ranked third in the Pac-12. [1] Smith started in 25 of the 26 games in which she played. During the NCAA Division 1 quarterfinals, she scored the game-winning golden goal in double overtime to lift the team past North Carolina and into the semifinals. Her three goals during the tournament helped the team clinch its first NCAA Division 1 College Cup title. [3] [4] Smith was named to the All-Pac-12 first team. [1] During her junior season, Smith started in all 24 games. Her nine goals scored and four game-winning goals tied for second on the team. Her 23 points ranked third on the team and eighth in the conference. [1] As a senior, she co-captained the team and was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. [1] [5]
Smith was named to the Western New York Flash opening day roster for the 2016 NWSL season. [6] She made twenty appearances for the club and scored two goals. [7] The team's fourth-place finish during the regular season with a 9–6–5 record secured the team a berth to the playoffs. [8] After defeating the Portland Thorns FC 4–3 in extra time during the semifinal, [9] the Flash faced the Washington Spirit in the final and won the game in a penalty kick shootout after finishing 2–2 in extra time. [10] Three months after the win, the Western New York Flash was sold to the ownership group of North Carolina FC and moved to Cary, North Carolina where they became the North Carolina Courage. [11]
In January 2018, Smith was traded to the Washington Spirit along with teammate Ashley Hatch in exchange for Crystal Dunn's rights. [12] Prior to the start of the season, Smith was added to the allocated player list by U.S. Soccer. [13] She appeared in 23 games for Washington in the 2018 season.
In October 2018, after the conclusion NWSL season, Smith signed with the Newcastle Jets on loan for the 2018–19 W-League season. [14] She became a key player in her first several appearances, earning the team's Player of the Month honors in November. In mid-December, Smith suffered an ACL tear in the 86th minute against Perth Glory after having registered two assists to fellow on-loan American, Katie Stengel. [15]
On March 22, 2019, Reign FC announced that they had signed Smith through the discovery process for former allocated players. Due to the injury she suffered in the W-League, Smith is not expected to play during the 2019 NWSL season. [16]
On December 7, 2020, Smith was acquired by North Carolina Courage in a trade for Ally Watt. [17] She parted ways with the club on June 21, 2022. [18]
On June 24, 2022, NJ/NY Gotham FC signed Smith off waivers. [2]
On January 31, 2023, Smith signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on loan for the remainder of the season. [19] [20]
In January 2017, Smith was called into training camp for the United States women's national soccer team for the first time by head coach Jill Ellis. [21] She earned her first cap for the team on July 27 when she started in the right back defender position during a match in Seattle against Australia at the 2017 Tournament of Nations. [22] [23]
Smith was named to the U.S roster for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup, she started two games as the United States won the tournament for the second time. [24]
Smith came out publicly as a lesbian in 2017. [25]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup [lower-alpha 1] | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Western New York Flash | 2016 | NWSL | 20 | 2 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||
North Carolina Courage | 2017 | NWSL | 26 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||
Washington Spirit | 2018 | NWSL | 23 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||
Newcastle Jets (loan) | 2018-19 | W-League | 6 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
OL Reign | 2020 | NWSL | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
North Carolina Courage | 2021 | NWSL | 13 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
2022 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 2 | 12 | 2 | |||
Total | 17 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | 26 | 2 | |||
NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2022 | NWSL | 14 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
2023 | 8 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |||
Total | 22 | 3 | — | 5 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |||
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2023–24 | WSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career total | 117 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 135 | 7 |
UCLA Bruins
Western New York Flash
North Carolina Courage
NJ/NY Gotham FC
United States
McCall RaNae Zerboni is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) federation players were players whose salaries for playing in the NWSL were paid for by their respective national federations from 2013 to 2021. American federation players were contracted to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and not to their respective NWSL clubs, whereas Canadian federation players were contracted directly to their respective NWSL clubs. Federation players were sometimes known as allocated players, allocation players, or subsidized players, which occasionally created confusion with players paid using NWSL allocation money, a mechanism introduced before the 2020 NWSL season.
The following is a compilation of notable records and statistics for teams and players in the National Women's Soccer League, which started in 2013.
Samantha June Mewis is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Mewis grew up in Hanson, Massachusetts, and played college soccer for the UCLA Bruins. Her club career began when she signed with the Pali Blues of the W-League in 2013. She played seven seasons for the Western New York Flash / North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), winning NWSL Championships in 2016, 2018, and 2019. She also played for FA Women's Super League club Manchester City and the NWSL's Kansas City Current. Mewis made 86 appearances for the United States national team, with which she won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She retired from professional soccer in 2024.
Caprice Ka'anohikula Dydasco is an American professional soccer defender who plays as an right back for Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for Pali Blues, the Washington Spirit, Newcastle Jets, Gotham FC, and most recently, Houston Dash. She played college soccer with the UCLA Bruins.
Abigail Lynn Dahlkemper is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
Lynn Raenie Williams is an American professional soccer player who plays for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She previously played for the Kansas City Current, Western New York Flash in NWSL and Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory in the Australian A-League Women.
Katelyn Morgan Rowland is an American professional soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League. Rowland previously played for FC Kansas City, the Western New York Flash, Kansas City Current, and the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL. She is a four-time NWSL Champion. Rowland has represented the United States on various youth national teams including the under-20 and under-23 teams.
Makenzy Allyson Doniak is an American professional soccer player. A forward, she plays for the San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Spent time on loan at HB Køge in the Elitedivisionen.
The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York Flash. The Courage is affiliated with the men's team North Carolina FC of the United Soccer League and plays its home games at the WakeMed Soccer Park.
Ashley Nicole Sanchez is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She played collegiate soccer for the UCLA Bruins and broke several school records in the three years she played.
Darian Michelle Jenkins is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a forward.
Hailie Jenae Mace is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League. She debuted for the United States women's national soccer team in 2018.
Victoria Serena Pickett is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canada national team.
Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Delanie Breann Sheehan is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward and midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the UCLA Bruins.
Olivia Marie Athens is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Viviana Venezia Villacorta is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
The 2023 NJ/NY Gotham FC season was the team's 14th season as a professional women's soccer team and eleventh participating in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. Gotham FC defeated OL Reign in the championship, winning the team's second championship.