Jessica McDonald Biography, Soccer Career, Son, Net Worth, Height

Jessica McDonald is an American professional soccer star who has been hailed as one of the most skillful and tenacious female football players at the moment. The football star plays for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League and has wowed many fans with her incredible skills on the pitch. She also plays for the United States women’s national soccer team.

Before she joined North Carolina Courage, Jessica had previously played for different clubs, gaining lots of experience and becoming a star attraction. We have gathered some facts about the soccer star for your reading pleasure. Continue to see more about her.

Jessica McDonald Biography

It was on the 28th day of February 1988 that Jessica McDonald was given birth to in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, the U.S.A. The footballer is the daughter of Traci McDonald and Vince Myers.

Jessica grew up with her brother, Brandon McDonald, who is also a professional soccer player in the MLS.
She reportedly developed a strong passion for sports since her early childhood days. Details about her elementary school education remain vague, however, we know that she attended the Cactus High School in Glendale, Arizona.

While was in Cactus, she participated in different sports such as basketball which she played throughout her four years. She also participated in track events during her junior and senior years. By 2004 she was a member of state championship basketball teams and she was named in the first-team all-state and all-region selection.

Jessica was also a state champion and in her track career, she was a record holder in the 400 meters. In fact, before her graduation from Cactus High School, she had set a record for the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, as well as in the 4 × 400-meter relay team.

Again, Jessica was part of the Sereno Soccer club as from 2000 to 2007 and her efforts helped the team to win the State Championships. She also led the Sereno into the regional championships in 2003 and 2007 while in 2005 and 2006, she played in the Surf Cup title-winning teams. To crown it all she was named as the 2006 Most valuable player in the tournament.

After her high school, Jessica was accepted into the Phoenix College. During her freshman and sophomore years in college, she played both soccer, basketball, as well as track events. During her time in Phoenix, she was named first-team junior college All-America in soccer alongside being National Junior College Player of the Year, she also earned the first-team all-conference and all-region honors.

Jessica later transferred to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and in her sophomore year, she joined the North Carolina Tar Heels soccer team where she helped the team to win the National Championship by netting 5 goals in addition to 10 assists before she graduated from the University.

Jessica McDonald Professional Football Career

The history of Jessica McDonald’s professional football club career could be traced to when she became the second pick of Chicago Red Stars during the 2010 WPS Draft. Following her debut with the Red Stars, Jessica made five appearances for the squad before she suddenly suffered a knee injury which kept her off the pitch for 18 months nevertheless, the Red stars ended up at the sixth place at the end of that season.

Subsequently, in 2012, Jessica moved to Australia and joined the Melbourne Victory FC where she played in W-League during the 2012–13 season. While with Melbourne, she made 13 of appearances for the team, scoring seven goals, this helped the team to advance to the final playoffs.

After her encounter with Melbourne, Jessica returned to her former team the Chicago Red Stars as a free agent in 2013, where she made 9 appearances after scoring a hat trick in a preseason game against St. Edwards University. She was eventually laid off by the club in June 2013.

On June 28, 2013, Jessica signed a contract with Seattle Reign FC and her debut with the team was spiced with a goal during the team’s match against the Boston Breakers on July 3, 2013. She finished the 2013 season with a total of 7 appearances, netting 3 goals.

Upon leaving Seattle, Kelly joined the Portland Thorns in 2014 where she made 24 appearances and scored 11 goals. One of her goals came in the 33 seconds from the beginning of the match against Chicago on July 17 and it was recorded as the fastest goal in the history of NWSL.

In 2015, she joined the Houston Dash after being picked in the 2015 NWSL College Draft as the 13th pick. In her encounter with Houston, Jessica became the leading scorer in Houston’s maiden season, netting 7 goals in 20 appearances during the 2016 season, even so, the team finished at fifth place in the regular season.

By January 2016, Jessica was traded to the Western New York Flash and while she was with the team she featured in 20 games, scoring 10 goals in that way she became the third-highest goalscorer in the NWSL, as she then acquired her first senior team call-up for the US Women National Team.

Eventually, Western New York Flash was rebranded as North Carolina Courage, and on May 2017, McDonald became the first NWSL player to score 33 regular-season, career goals. She scored 4 goals in 2017, leading the North Carolina into winning the NWSL Shield. Jessica is now one of the highly celebrated female footballers at the moment.

International Career

As for her international career, Jessica McDonald has represented the United States on several youth national teams such as the U-16, U17, U-20 and the U-23 as well as in the US senior national team squads. Jessica was part of the US team that competed in the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil. She and her teammates ended up winning the Silver medals after being trashed by the host country Brazil, in the playoffs which ended 5–0.

Also, Jessica got her first call up into the senior national team on the 2nd of November, 2016 and made her international debut on November 10 in the game against Romania. Jessica was also among the United States 23-player squad who played in the recent 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which the US team eventually won.

Jessica McDonald’s Son

Jessica McDonald is a happily married woman at the moment. The footballer is married to a man identified as Courtney Stuart. The couple now has a son together called Jeremiah Stuart. Jeremiah was born in March 2012.

Jessica is a doting mother; she loves spending a lot of time with her son and showing off on social media and on the pitch after football matches especially after winning trophies. She also spends time with her family by going on vacations.

Read Also: Kelley O’Hara Biography, Soccer Career, Girlfriend, Net Worth, Height

Net Worth, Salary

Apparently, Jessica McDonald has been very successful in her career and has raked in a reasonable amount of wealth for herself money over the years. According to reports, an average player in the NWSL earns a salary ranging from $16,538-$ 46,200. Her salary apparently falls within this range.

Her overall net worth is not certain at the moment but she is believed to be worth about $1 million.

Height, Weight

Talking about her body measurement, Kelly stands at a height of 5 ft. 10 inches (1.78m) but her actual weight is unknown.

Complete profile of Jessica McDonald