Kayla Sharples
Kayla Sharples | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 17, 1997 Naperville, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Professional soccer player |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Known for | Defender for Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) |
Kayla Lynne Sharples (born June 17, 1997) is a professional American soccer defender currently playing for the Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Her previous clubs include the Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC.
Early life
Originating from Naperville, Illinois, Sharples attended Naperville North High School, where she participated in both basketball and soccer. As a freshman in 2010, she contributed to securing a state championship. During her youth, she played club soccer with Eclipse Select, capturing several state titles. Her jersey from the Chicago Red Stars is exhibited in Naperville North's gymnasium alongside those of other professional athletes who graduated from the school.
Northwestern Wildcats
Sharples pursued her collegiate career at Northwestern University, representing the Northwestern Wildcats. She was instrumental in guiding the team to four straight NCAA Tournament qualifications between 2015 and 2018, setting a program record. The team's deepest progression came during the 2016 tournament, advancing to the Round of 16 before being eliminated by the #3 seeded Duke Blue Devils. Sharples started every one of her 87 appearances, including an impressive streak of 86 consecutive starts—the second longest in the history of the program.
Chicago Red Stars
Selected 26th overall in the 2019 NWSL College Draft by her hometown club, the Chicago Red Stars, Sharples made her professional debut on June 2, 2019, entering as a substitute during a 3–0 defeat to Portland Thorns FC. While her playing time was limited throughout the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, she earned a starting position in the final, where Chicago fell to the Houston Dash. On June 12, 2022, Sharples sustained an ACL injury that ended her season during a match against the Orlando Pride. She made her comeback on May 31, 2023, coming off the bench in a Challenge Cup game against Racing Louisville FC.
KuPS loan (2020)
In August 2020, after discussions with Chicago head coach Rory Dames who anticipated restricted opportunities during the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, Sharples was loaned to Kuopion Palloseura for the remainder of the 2020 Kansallinen Liiga season. She appeared in six matches and scored once, contributing to KuPS achieving their best-ever third-place league finish.
In December 2021, Sharples joined Australian side Adelaide United on loan ahead of the 2021–22 A-League Women campaign, achieving her ambition to participate in a competitive league. Following a mandatory COVID-19 quarantine, she was in the starting lineup for 11 out of 14 regular season matches and netted a goal during a 3–0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers on January 28, 2022. Sharples played a key role in guiding Adelaide to their inaugural Finals appearance after fourteen seasons. She was part of the starting eleven in the semi-final on March 13, where Adelaide was narrowly defeated 1–2 by eventual champions Melbourne Victory. After this defeat, Sharples returned to the Chicago Red Stars to gear up for the upcoming 2022 NWSL season.
Bay FC
On December 21, 2023, Sharples signed as a free agent with NWSL expansion franchise Bay FC following the expiration of her contract with Chicago. She was included in the starting lineup for Bay FC's first-ever regular season game, which resulted in a victory over Angel City FC.
Kansas City Current
Sharples was traded to the Kansas City Current on August 28, 2024, in exchange for goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and $15,000 in allocation funds.
Honors
Kansas City Current
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup[lower-alpha 1] | Playoffs[lower-alpha 2] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chicago Red Stars | 2019 | NWSL | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | NWSL | — | 3 | 0 | — | 0[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | NWSL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | NWSL | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | NWSL | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| KuPS (loan) | 2020 | Kansallinen Liiga | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| Adelaide United (loan) | 2021–22 | A-League | 11 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Bay FC | 2024 | NWSL | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 56 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 5 | ||
External links
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- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1997 births
- Living people
- American female soccer athletes
- Chicago Red Stars members
- Adelaide United FC (women) athletes
- National Women's Soccer League participants
- Chicago Red Stars draft selections
- Northwestern Wildcats women's soccer team
- Soccer players originating from Naperville, Illinois
- Women's football defenders
- Bay FC team members
- Kansas City Current squad
- 21st-century American female athletes
- American women soccer players abroad
- Female expatriate soccer players in Australia
- American sports professionals in Australia
- American sports expatriates in Finland
- Female expatriate footballers in Finland
- Adelaide United FC (women) players
- Pages with reference errors