Who Are the Next Olivia Moultries? 5 Youth Soccer Players Who Are Moving up the Ranks
If you follow women’s soccer news, there is no way the name Olivia Moultrie has escaped your notice. She is officially the youngest NWSL player in history, at just 15 years old. Her name has been thrown around in the soccer community for a few years now since she started training with the Portland Thorns in 2019 and made her debut appearance for the team on July 3rd this year. Her official rise to the pros has us wondering: how many other wonder kids are out there? Let’s take a look at five other youth soccer players who are climbing up the ranks.
Hanna Bennison
Hanna Bennison has been racking up accolades on a global scale for years now. This 18-year-old was placed among the top 10 of the most promising players by UEFA in 2020. And in 2021, Bennison was named this year’s best young female footballer at the NXGN awards. She has been playing for the Swedish National Team since 2019, and during her debut, she assisted a goal. Even though Sweden lost that game against the USWNT, the assist definitely put her name in the mix. Since 2018, Bennison has played for FC Rosengard, for which she has scored eight goals. Bennison’s young career is only heating up, and there’s no telling how high she’ll rise.
Mia Minestrella
Mia Minestrella is a young forward out of California who has been making waves both locally and nationally. Currently a U-16 US Girl’s National Team member, she has been named 7th overall in the IMG Academy 150. While she couldn’t play for her high school her freshman year because of her involvement in the US development academy, she made up for it in her sophomore year. Her high school highly anticipated her arrival, and by the end of the season, she scored 18 goals for her team in her first year on varsity. This class of 2023 player will have her pick of big-league teams when her time comes.
Viet-Thy Tran
The U-15 DA for the US team recently brought up this midfielder. Viet-Thy Tran plays for the San Jose Earthquake, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Six of the 23 players named to the U-15 US team were from the Earthquakes in 2020. In 2017, Tran’s middle school team had a perfect season, 10-0. For such a young player, Tran is a master of making space, taking on pressure, and moving the ball. She plays smart and hard, and all of that will pay off as she gets older and stronger.
Anna Castenfelt
Castenfelt is yet another player making waves in her high school’s district. A freshman at Scottsdale Christian Academy in Arizona, Castenfelt is leading her team. This midfielder has quite the list of accomplishments behind her at such a young age. A former player for the Arizona Rising Youth Team and current Utah Royals FC player, Castenfelt is a proven leader. She was one of four players from Arizona to be invited to the U-17 USGNT virtual camp earlier this year, and this isn’t her first invite to a national development camp.
Bobbie Kind
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Bobbie Kind is a face and name you might know from Instagram. With 6,300 followers, Kind is regularly flexing her soccer skills for the world to see. Kind’s ball-handling skills and agility training are far beyond what you expect from such a young player. A Wooter Academy participant, Kind has played for KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association), AFC Ajax, and AFC Amsterdam. Kind is unafraid to step up to players who are older and stronger than she is. She can already handle the ball better than people years ahead of her. This young Dutch player has nothing but time to sharpen her skills further, and we can’t wait to see how far she comes.
The pool of upcoming female talent in soccer is deep. With the progress our current pros are making in equal pay and treatment, the future is bright. Did we miss any of your favorite names to watch? Give them a shoutout in the comments!
Featured Image via @ThornsFC on Twitter
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