Gotham FC’s McKenna “Mak” Whitham made her professional debut at the age of 14 years old during Sunday’s match against the Washington Spirit just days after signing a professional contract with the team.
Whitham made history last week when she signed a deal with Gotham and became the youngest player to ever ink an NWSL contract at 13 years old — the deal was signed a day shy of her 14th birthday.
Whitham entered Sunday’s NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup game in the 80th minute, and Gotham won the match, 1-0, at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa.
“I think that for us it is obviously an important moment because she’s a young player. She’s not only the youngest player to ever play in the league, but she’s also the youngest player for us in the squad, which is what we really care about,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said after the match. “We obviously have identified a special talent. It will take some time to really reach her potential. From herself to the team, what they are doing to help her and what she’s doing to adapt to do it. From pre-season really. Because she has been with us obviously since we went to Colombia. I think that is what has got her to this part of the journey with the team.
“I think that the environment from everyone, that comes from the outside into the inside, is an environment where people can be themselves and support each other and you know, understand what they need to do on the pitch but they also are great people off the pitch. I think that makes everything easier.”
While her deal won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through 2028, she also inked a National Team Replacement Player contract which allowed her to be eligible for Gotham’s Summer Cup matches.
Sunday’s moment was historic across U.S. soccer, with Whitham becoming the youngest player ever to get into a first-division match.
It set a new record after Cavan Sullivan had become the youngest player to ever get into a match when he made his MLS debut 11 days earlier for the Philadelphia Union at the same venue.
“I remember when I was 14 years old and to be able to do this, kudos to her because I definitely wasn’t ready,” Gotham keeper Cassie Miller said. “I think it also comes from the team that is created here and the culture that’s created here. Having that safe environment, a culture that pushes her every day but allows her to be her best. We are definitely excited for her.”
Whitham is 10 months younger than Sullivan, who made his MLS debut at 14 years and 293 days old to break Freddy Adu’s record.
“I am really excited to sign and begin my professional career with Gotham FC,” Whitham said in a statement after signing the contract. “Gotham FC is a great place for me to continue to push myself as a player. I can’t wait to get to work and to continue to grow as a player with the great players, coaches and staff at Gotham FC.”
Whitham was able to sign with Gotham and bypass the NWSL draft due to a mechanism known as the NWSL under-18 entry mechanism that permits her to be selected under 18.
