10 Former US College Soccer Stars Playing in the Euros
The UEFA Women’s Euros begin next month! This tournament takes place only every four years and is a competition between the qualifying national teams of the UEFA confederation. Each nation is beginning to confirm its rosters, and it’s exciting to see where these players had their start. Here we’re looking at ten players playing in the Euros who were stars for US college soccer teams. With Forza Football, you can keep up with the tournament with live scores, match details, lineups, and more! Additionally, you can keep up with the NCAA and check out the new budding stars who’ll one day play in the Euros!
England
The host nation has a handful of players who once found success for US college teams.
Lucy Bronze – (University North Carolina 2009)
Lucy Bronze is a legend for England’s national team. She started on the youth level and worked her way up from there. She played for the UNC Tarheels in 2009, where she made 24 appearances and scored three goals.
In Bronze’s professional career, she played for Liverpool, Everton, Olympique Lyon, and Manchester City. Her accolades include three UEFA Women’s Champions League titles, two FA WSL titles, and best women’s player from FIFA, UEFA, BBC, and the Professional Football Association.
Rachel Daly (St. John’s University 2012-2015)
Rachel Daly is another well-known star on the English national team. During her collegiate career at St. John’s University, she set the school record for goals at 50. She was also a Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
Daly has played for the Houston Dash since 2016. While she was left off England’s roster in Euro 2017, she’ll surely be a key component of this year’s team.
Alessia Russo (University of North Carolina 2017-2019)
Alessia Russo played at UNC from 2017 to 2019, where she found great success as a forward with 57 appearances and a team-leading goal amount of 28. She forwent her last year of college eligibility to play for Manchester United.
Despite some injury, she bounced back this past season and led the team in goals with 11. She’s been playing with the England senior national team since 2020.
Lotte Wubben-Moy (University of North Carolina 2017-2019)
Like teammate Alessia Russo, Lotte Wubben-Moy played for UNC. She was a three-year starter at center back and forwent her final year of US college soccer eligibility to return to Arsenal, where she had played since she was 16.
Another young star, Wubben-Moy is relatively new to the English national team and will be an exciting defensive player to watch.
Northern Ireland
This is Northern Ireland’s first time qualifying, and their roster is not yet confirmed.
Rebecca Holloway (Cumberland University 2015-2018)
Rebecca Holloway played for the NAIA team, the Cumberland Pheonix starting in 2015, where she led the league with 22 goals her senior year. She began playing with Racing Louisville in 2022 and the Northern Ireland national team in 2019. It’ll be exciting to see this team enter their first UEFA tournament!
Germany
Laura Freigang (Penn State 2016-2017)
Laura Freigang is an attacking player who played for the Penn State Nittany Lions from 2016 to 2017. While on the team, she made 37 appearances and scored 11 goals. She made her international debut for Germany in 2020, scored nine goals, and made 13 appearances. A young player still, she’ll be one to watch on a powerful German team.
Belgium
Janice Cayman (Florida State University 2010-2011)
Janice Cayman played US college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles for two seasons as a midfielder and attacking player. Cayman made 48 appearances and scored 16 goals during her collegiate career.
She played professionally in the US for one season and currently plays for UEFA UWCL champions Olympique Lyonnais. She has had a long professional career, having played in over 100 matches for Belgium.
Netherlands
Merel Van Dongen (University of Alabama 2012-2014)
Merel van Dongen played professionally in the Netherlands before playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide beginning in 2012. She holds a record number of assists per game for the team. Van Dongen currently plates for Atletico Madrid and has played on the Netherlands national team since 2015. She’s a defensive player to look out for on a very talented Netherlands team.
Finland
Natalia Kuikka (Florida State University 2015-2019)
Natalia Kuikka was a defensive star for the Seminoles, leading the team to record a number of 16 clean sheets her senior year. She currently plays for the Portland Thorns and has been great in the backline. She’s been playing for the Finnish national team since 2013 and earned Finland National Player of the Year in 2017, 2020, and 2021.
Iceland
Iceland’s roster hasn’t yet been confirmed but is projected to have a handful of players who once shined for the US collegiate teams.
Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir (Pepperdine 2010)
Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir transferred for one semester to play at Pepperdine University, where she made 19 appearances for the team during that one season. Jónsdóttir made her senior national team debut at the age of 14, aided the team to qualify for the Euros in 2017, and started every game for Iceland in the Euro 2022 qualifiers.
Other teams like Switzerland and Denmark have not yet confirmed their rosters. However, there are many more former US college soccer stars who will be playing for their country in the 2022 Euros.
Featured image via Getty Images
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
Girls Soccer Network
Your source for girls soccer news
