Trophies, Board Games, and Cider: Life Unveiled for NWSL’s Youngest Star

When Gotham FC won the first CONCACAF W Champions Cup in Mexico in May, celebrations included
cheers, foaming sprays of beer
— and at least one bottle of apple cider.

Mckenna “Mak” Whitham, 14, is the youngest player in National Women’s Soccer League history. As she is still seven years away from legally being able to drink, her teammates — all but one in their 20s and 30s — showed support with that bottle ready for her to pop in the locker room. It’s just one of the ways Whitham says she’s been welcomed into the league.

During that week in Mexico, she bonded with some of her teammates through playing board games and craft projects in their free time.

“I feel like the experience has been really good,” Mak told NBC News. “I don’t just fit in on the field, but I also fit in off the field.”

Mak
signed a deal to play with Gotham last year,
just a few weeks shy of her 14th birthday. She made her debut in March during stoppage time against the Seattle Reign. It was a milestone made possible by a wave of teenage players joining the country’s top women’s league
since 2022
.

In just a few months of playing with Gotham, Mak says she’s grown in her abilities and feels much more confident.

“I just see the difference in myself,” she said. “And I feel like I truly belong here.”

This dream has been years in the making.

Mak recalls playing with a little blue ball her parents got her when she was 4. They noticed that she had the ball at her feet “all the time” and decided that year to sign her up for a soccer camp.

“I was pretty good for a 4-year-old,” Mak joked. “Ever since that day, I’ve just always loved the game. And it’s been my passion.”

Her enthusiasm for the sport was obvious to her parents early on.

“She loved it so much that by age 8, she wanted to go every day,” her father, Josh Whitham, said.

Growing up outside Sacramento, California, Mak’s career before the NWSL was filled with opportunities at prestigious clubs. At one point she played with Slammers FC, whose alumni include U.S. Women’s National Team members Christen Press and Jenna Nighswonger.

Mak was also able to train with the SoCal Youth, an MLS-affiliated youth team for Los Angeles FC. Playing alongside the power and pace of the boys’ team was some of the best preparation she says she had before joining Gotham.

That’s not to mention her time with the U.S. youth programs, offering a standout moment at the Under-15 CONCACAF Girls’ tournament when she scored in the final against Mexico.

Mak had multiple NWSL teams interested in adding her to their roster. She spent time training with the Kansas City Current, this season’s leading team, and the Washington Spirit, who beat Gotham in last season’s semifinal game.

But Mak was swayed by Gotham’s commitment to her development. It was the team’s “level of understanding on, how do we get Mak to become the best player and person that she can be in this club,” she said.

Mak’s played as a substitute in a handful of games this season, but her limited time on the pitch is far from forgettable. The teenager had her best chance at an NWSL goal against the Chicago Stars last month, only to be denied by goalie Alyssa Naeher.

It was frustrating, she says, but she can’t be too upset to have been blocked by the two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist.

“I talked to the coaches, and they’re like, look, the fact that you got in that position and were so close to scoring… it’s pretty rare,” Mak said. “So I looked at it at a different point of view.”

She’s joining the country’s highest level of women’s soccer at an age where studies show
1 in 2 girls begin to drop out of competitive sports
altogether. It’s the love of the game and challenges that keep Mak moving toward the next milestone, which of course includes visions of the U.S. women’s national team and the World Cup.

“I am always thriving to get better, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally,” she said. “And I would just say it’s a satisfaction of creating a goal and then achieving it. And working really hard and seeing all that hard work really pay off.”

Mak is the youngest in a growing youth movement within the NWSL, sparked by a
then-15-year-old Olivia Moultrie
.

Moultrie, a Portland Thorns midfielder, won an antitrust lawsuit against the NWSL that she filed in 2021 to repeal the league’s age requirement for its players. In 2022, the league unveiled a policy that would allow teams to sign a few under-18 players with restrictions.

It’s not unheard of for men’s teams to feature teenage talent — Freddy Adu debuted for D.C. United in 2004 at just 14 years old, the youngest person to debut for any professional U.S. sport at the time. And 20 years later, Cavan Sullivan made his own MLS debut for the Philadelphia Union at 14.

Mak’s father noted that the decision to let their own teen make her professional debut was not one the family members took lightly. She spent months training with multiple NWSL teams ,in addition to her time spent working with Gotham, before signing a deal.

“She continued to have growth and success within that environment,” Whitham said. “So, Mak wanted it, and we were committed to supporting her dreams.”

Gotham’s general manager, Yael Averbuch West, and head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, have partnered with the family to “to ensure she is continuing to grow not only in her game but as a person,” Whitham said.

“We have a very strong relationship with Gotham and have meetings on a set cadence concerning all areas of her development at Gotham,” he added.

Some of the league-mandated safeguards for young players include anti-trade protections until they turn 18, a separate changing area from the adults, regular drug testing and requirements that the team helps pay for housing and schooling costs.

Mak says she’s grateful to have a family that would move across the country to help her achieve her dream. She pointed out that her father’s sports career was similar, as he joined the 1998 Team USA ski team when he was still in high school.

“He understands the sacrifices and he understands the challenges that come with it,” Mak said. “So I’m really grateful to have him. And I have my mom as well, she helps me with a lot of things, like with schooling … I can go to her and have really good conversations.”

After a morning of team training, workouts and recovery, Mak returns home to homeschooling and hanging out with her younger sister. They go on walks with their dog, play video games and, of course, play some competitive soccer.

Now that school’s out for the summer, though, Mak says she’ll probably fill that time just relaxing. Her 15th birthday is also just a few weeks away, which she says will probably involve soccer and a family dinner.

Mak is happy and thriving as she gets to live out her dream each and every day, her father said. Whitham noted the family still values the importance of education, so college is still in the plan.

“There is no single way that is better than another,” he said, “It is extremely important that women have the same opportunities as men to develop as players, especially if that is the passion and wish of the player.”

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