Riley Francis Jackson (born December 2, 2005) is an American professional soccer midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States women's national under-20 team. She was named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. She signed with the Courage at the age of 17 in 2023.
_137.jpg) Jackson with the North Carolina Courage in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Riley Francis Jackson | ||
| Date of birth | December 2, 2005 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | North Carolina Courage | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | United States U17 | 12 | (2) |
| 2024 | United States U20 | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 30, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of February 28, 2024 | |||
Early life
Riley Francis Jackson was born on December 2, 2005, and grew up in Roswell, Georgia, United States. She played ten years of club soccer for Roswell Soccer Club, a team coached by her father. She then switched to Concorde Fire of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), where she played up an age group. She was named the ECNL's Southeast Conference Player of the Year in 2020–21, and after helping the Fire win the national club title, she was named the national ECNL Player of the Year in 2021–22.
Jackson played high school soccer for Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, recording 36 goals and 48 assists over her career. As a sophomore in 2021–22, she scored 14 goals and had 18 assists and was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year.
Professional career
In July 2023, through the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism, 17-year-old Jackson signed a professional contract with the North Carolina Courage through 2025 with an option for another year. She previously verbally committed to Duke University in the fall of 2022. She was placed on injured reserve due to a right foot injury the next month. She made her professional debut with the Courage on March 16, 2024.
International career
Jackson got her first call up to a youth national team training camp with the under-15 team in October 2019. She trained again with the team in March 2020 at a camp run by her future Courage coach Sean Nahas. When youth soccer returned from its COVID-19 pandemic hiatus, Jackson traveled abroad for the first time to play for the national under-17 team at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in the Dominican Republic. She co-captained the team to win the tournament, scoring two goals and making three assists, and was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. She recorded two assists at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, where the United States fell in the quarterfinals on penalties.
Jackson played friendlies for the national under-20 team against Colombia in February 2024.
References
External links
- Riley Jackson at Soccerway
- Riley Jackson at the National Women's Soccer League
- Riley Jackson at North Carolina Courage