SoccerWire Featured Player Kennedy Fuller turns pro, signing with NWSL club Angel City FC

One of the most promising young players in the U.S. Youth Women’s National Team roster pool, Kennedy Fuller, signed with NWSL club Angel City FC on March 6, just days before her 17th birthday.

The Southlake, Texas native had previously committed to play for the legendary University of North Carolina women’s soccer program starting in Fall 2024 after completing all of her high school coursework more than a year early, but will instead begin her professional career immediately with Los Angeles-based Angel City. Fuller has been widely regarded as the top prospect in the country in her class for several years, as she has thrived in the USYNT program, at the ECNL level with Solar SC and at the high school level with Southlake Carroll.

The 2023 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year has served as captain of the U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team, earning eight goals in five appearances, leading the squad to the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship title in Mexico, while also qualifying for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup tournament. She also helped the U.S. U-16 Women’s National Team win the Mondial Montaigu Tournament in France.

Fuller is entering the NWSL via the league’s U-18 Entry Mechanism, following a trial period with ACFC. She trained with several NWSL clubs prior to her time with ACFC, including the North Carolina Courage, Kansas City Current, and San Diego Wave FC. At the end of 2023, she also spent three weeks training with Chelsea FC women, under newly appointed USWNT head coach Emma Hayes.

“I’m so thrilled to join such a unique and diverse team in Angel City,” stated Fuller in the club’s official announcement. “Being able to play with some of the best players in the world is such an amazing opportunity, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”

ACFC General Manager Angela Hucles stated: “Kennedy embodies the boundless excitement of youth reflective of the new direction of our sport at the professional level. She already possesses a tactical level of understanding beyond her years of experience, and that combined with her clean technique is a fantastic addition to our team.”

An early adopter of SoccerWire’s Featured Player Program, Fuller joins SLSG ECNL product Alex Pfeiffer as the 2nd program member to sign with an NWSL club directly out of high school. Pfeiffer, who earned ECNL Girls National Player of the Year honors in 2023 after leading SLSG to the national title, became the 4th-youngest player in NWSL history when she officially joined the Kansas City Current roster at the age of 15 in October 2023.

Two other SoccerWire Featured Players are currently participating in preseason training camps with NWSL clubs: Mary Long (KC Current) and Olivia Geller (Houston Dash). Long is slated to join the Duke women’s soccer program this fall, after previously re-classifying from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2024. Geller also re-classified to graduate high school a year early, and is set to begin her college career at TCU later this year.

Fuller has been making headlines since she burst onto the scene with the USYNT and in ECNL competition, appearing in more than 50 SoccerWire articles since 2021. She was first covered in SoccerWire back in 2021 when she was ranked No. 4 overall in the ECNL across all age groups in the ‘InStat Index’ player rating system. She was ranked behind only Richmond United’s London Serafim (also a SoccerWire Featured Player), as well as current USWNT rising star Jaedyn Shaw (who just recently recorded a brace with the senior USWNT squad at age 19) and Amalia Villarreal (another USYNT player and high-level professional prospect).