Kerry Abello
Kerry Abello | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kerry Margaret Abello September 17, 1999 Elmhurst, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Professional soccer player |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Defender for Orlando Pride and United States women's national team |
Kerry Margaret Abello (born September 17, 1999) is a professional American soccer athlete who occupies the position of defender for the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and also represents the United States national team.
Known for her adaptability on the field, Abello's collegiate career with the Penn State Nittany Lions saw her perform as a center-back, full-back, and forward. Selected 24th overall in the 2021 NWSL Draft, she contributed to Orlando Pride’s victories in both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship during the 2024 season.
Early life
Hailing from Elmhurst, Illinois, Abello developed her skills playing club soccer with Team Chicago and Eclipse Select SC, alongside one year of high school competition at Benet Academy. She earned recognition as a three-time NSCAA Youth All-American between 2014 and 2016. In the 2017 recruiting cycle, she was ranked 12th overall nationally and identified as the second-best defender by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Abello spent five seasons competing in college soccer at Pennsylvania State University from 2017 through 2021. During this period, she pursued degrees in biological life sciences and Spanish, preparing for medical school. Demonstrating strong academic commitment, she was admitted to the prestigious Schreyer Honors College and earned four CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, including two consecutive CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year awards for 2020–21 and 2021—a first in Division I soccer history.[1][2] As a freshman, she appeared in 15 matches primarily as a substitute, contributing to Penn State’s triumph in the 2017 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament.[1]
Initially playing mainly as a forward, Abello secured a starting role in 2018, making 19 starts across 23 games while recording seven goals and five assists as Penn State captured the Big Ten regular season championship.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name The following year, she shifted to the role of left-back, starting every one of the 24 games and tallying eight goals with three assists, which earned her First Team All-Big Ten recognition.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Appointed team captain in 2020,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name she opted to postpone turning professional after being drafted in the 2021 NWSL Draft, taking advantage of an extra NCAA eligibility year granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Throughout the 2020–21 season, Abello played at center-back in 12 matches before an injury interrupted her campaign; Penn State once again secured the Big Ten regular season title.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name In her concluding collegiate year, she started all 20 games and received First Team All-Big Ten honors for a second occasion.[1]
During the off-season of 2018, Abello competed as a center-back with Chicago Red Stars Reserves in the WPSL, assisting the squad in finishing atop the Northern Conference and advancing to the playoff semi-finals.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Orlando Pride
Abello was chosen 24th overall in the third round of the 2021 NWSL Draft by Orlando Pride on January 13, 2021. After completing her fifth collegiate year at Penn State in 2021, she inked a two-year deal with Orlando Pride on January 28, 2022, ahead of the 2022 Orlando Pride season. Her professional debut came on April 3, 2022, when she entered as a substitute in a match against Washington Spirit during the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.
During the 2024 regular season, Abello was the only outfield player for the Pride to participate in every one of the 26 games (starting in 25), contributing to the team clinching the NWSL Shield by finishing with the league's top record.[3] Her outstanding performance earned her a place on the NWSL Best XI Second Team.[4] On November 23, Abello was in the starting lineup for the 2024 NWSL Championship, where Orlando secured a 1–0 victory over Washington Spirit.[5]
In May 2025, Abello achieved a milestone by becoming the first player from Orlando Pride to appear in 50 consecutive matches.[6]
International career
Abello has represented the United States at various youth levels ranging from under-14 to under-19. In October 2016, she was selected for the under-18 team competing at the Women's International Cup in Ireland and participated in several under-19 training camps throughout 2017. Additionally, she featured in three matches with the under-18 squad during a tour in Australia that July.
Her first call-up to the senior national team came in May 2025.[7] Abello made her senior team debut on June 3, starting in a commanding 4–0 victory over Jamaica.[8]
Personal life
Kim and Oscar Abello are her parents, and she has three older siblings: two brothers and one sister.
College summary
| Team | Season | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Penn State Nittany Lions |
2017 | Div. I | 15 | 0 |
| 2018 | 23 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | 24 | 8 | ||
| 2020–21 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 17 | 2 | ||
| Total | 91 | 17 | ||
Club summary
| Club | Season | League | Cup[lower-alpha 1] | Playoffs[lower-alpha 2] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Orlando Pride | 2022 | NWSL | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | ||||
| 2024 | 26 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 68 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 82 | 2 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honors
Penn State Nittany Lions
- Big Ten Conference regular season champion: 2018, 2020
- Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament winner: 2017, 2019
Orlando Pride
- NWSL Shield recipient: 2024
- NWSL Championship titleholder: 2024
Individual Achievements
- CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year: 2020, 2021
- Big Ten Medal of Honor awardee: 2021
- NWSL Best XI Second Team selection: 2024
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPenn bio - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCoSIDA21 - ↑ "2024 Orlando Pride Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named2024Champ - ↑ orlandocitysc. "Match Report: Orlando Pride falls 1-0 against Portland Thorns FC | Orlando Pride". orlandocitysc. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
- ↑ "Hayes Names 24-Player USWNT Roster for Matches against China PR and Jamaica". United States Soccer Federation. 2025-05-20. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "USWNT vs. Jamaica score: Ally Sentnor, Lynn Biyendolo score braces in dominant win for USA soccer". CBSSports.com. 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
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- 1999 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Elmhurst, Illinois
- People from Batavia, Illinois
- Soccer players from Illinois
- American women's soccer players
- Women's association football defenders
- Women's association football forwards
- Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer players
- Orlando Pride draft picks
- Orlando Pride players
- Women's Premier Soccer League players
- National Women's Soccer League players
- Pennsylvania State University alumni
- United States women's youth international soccer players
- 21st-century American sportswomen
- United States women's international soccer players