What You Need to Know About Alex Pfeiffer
The new NWSL season brought back the excitement that the league always delivers. Some teams have been struggling since the beginning of the season, while others are having the time of their lives, like Kansas City Current. Sitting at the top of the table, the team has had a lot to be proud of in the last couple of weeks. Their youngest signee, 16-year-old Alex Pfeiffer, has a few things to celebrate, including becoming the youngest NWSL goalscorer. Here’s what you should know about the young star.
How It All Began for Alex Pfeiffer
Last year, KC Current announced signing the then-15-year-old Pfeiffer to a three-year contract that runs through the 2026 NWSL season. Pfeiffer’s signing to the team came when a wave of young players turning professional had just started in the NWSL. Many welcomed the signing, especially given the numbers Pfeiffer already had under her name.
She was part of the U.S. youth national team at many levels, including U-15, U-16, and U-17. While playing for the U-15 team, she won the 2022 CONCACAF Championship. She even scored in the championship game against Canada, which ended 4-1. She also appeared in the U-17 CONCACAF Championship earlier this year and scored multiple goals, including one in the final against Mexico. After a period of observation and evaluation through identification camps, it became clear that Pfeiffer was the kind of talent the Current was looking for.
Life Before Joining the Current
Before joining KC Current, Pfeiffer played for St. Louis Scott Gallagher in the ECNL. The concept of success was familiar to Pfeiffer when she was with her old team. She won back-to-back national championships at the U-16 and U-17 levels. The ECNL also announced last year that Pfeiffer was the league’s U-17 Player of the Year.
Breaking Records
With the new NWSL season underway, Pfeiffer started showing her talent. She subbed in during the Current’s home opener against Portland Thorns, and this was quite the day for Pfeiffer, KC Current, and women’s soccer in general. The match reminded everyone just how high the level of competition in the NWSL is, with the Current winning 5-4.
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For Pfeiffer, this result was absolutely great because her team won. What made it even more remarkable was the fact that she scored the Current’s fifth goal. This goal not only gave Pfeiffer and the team the win but also helped her break a record. After scoring, Pfeiffer became the youngest NWSL goalscorer at 16 years, three months, and 20 days old.
Scoring a record-breaking goal at the first NWSL purpose-built stadium is a moment Pfeiffer will never forget. It is also a moment that the sell-out crowd of 11,500 who attended the game will surely remember.
The Future of Women’s Soccer
KC Current’s signing of a young talent such as Pfeiffer is starting to pay off. The signing also means a lot to the continuous development of the game and the NWSL as more young players join the league. Pfeiffer’s signing made her the fourth-youngest player signed to play in the NWSL; this is just the beginning. The wave of young players skipping college and going pro is just starting and will continue.
Before Pfeiffer’s goal, the Thorn’s Olivia Moultrie was the youngest goalscorer in the NWSL; she was then older than Pfeiffer by just five months. It was through Moultrie’s lawsuit against the league that young players became able to join the league and play. Now, players like Alex Pfeiffer, Olivia Moultrie, Melanie Barcenas, and Chloe Rickets are paving the road for more young players.
Clubs are taking full advantage of the NWSL’s U-18 entry mechanism, changing the landscape for women’s soccer and the USWNT. Alex Pfeiffer is part of this change, and she is definitely one of the top young women’s soccer players to watch this year. When talking about Pfeiffer, KCC KC Current’s General Manager Camille Ashton said, “We believe she has the ability to impact this team for many years to come.” We can’t to see Pfeiffer doing just that.
Featured image via @kccurrent on Instagram
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