Christen Press

Press is the all-time leading scorer for the Stanford Cardinal women's soccer team with 71 goals.[11] While playing for the Cardinal, she broke school records for career points[upper-alpha 1] (183), assists (41), and shots (500); as well as single-season records for goals (26), shots (180), and game-winning goals (10).[9] She was Stanford's second Hermann Trophy winner and a two-time runner-up at the NCAA Women's College Cup.

As a freshman, Press started 18 games for Stanford. She led the team in assists (6) and ranked second in goals (8), points (22) and shots (60). One of her biggest highlights of the year came in the first round of the NCAA College Cup when she scored the fastest goal in team history in the 37th second of the match. She scored twice and also assisted on another goal in the team's 7–0 victory.[9] Press was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and earned first-team Freshman All-American honors.[12]

During her sophomore year, Press was one of only five players in the squad to start every game of the season. She scored 16 goals and had 11 assists, while her total of 43 points ranked second in school history. In the College Cup quarterfinal against the Portland Pilots, Press scored the lone goal of the match in the 86th minute to send the Cardinal to the Final Four. She was the only player from the Cardinal squad to be named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team.[9]

During her third season with the Cardinal, Press set new program records for assists (16) and shots (143). Seven of her 21 goals during the 2009 season were game-winning goals. Her 58 points raised the bar that she set during the previous season for the second-highest point total in a single season and ranked third in the nation.[9] Press also broke her previous record for fastest goal scored in Stanford history after scoring 23 seconds into a match against BYU.[9] In the College Cup, she scored the golden goal and had an assist in the Cardinal's 2–1 overtime win against the UCLA Bruins to send them into their first-ever cup final.[13] They went on to lose the final to the North Carolina Tar Heels, after Press's apparent game-tying goal in the 89th minute was ruled offside.[14] At the end of the season, Press was named to the All-Pac-10 first team and was a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy.[9][15]

In her senior year, Press was the recipient of the 2010 Hermann Trophy for being the nation's top college soccer player. This marked the second consecutive win for a Stanford player following Kelley O'Hara in 2009.[16][17] Press led the nation in both goals and points, while the club obtained a 23–1–2 record overall. Their only loss in 2010 came in the last match of the season in the College Cup final, which was Stanford's second consecutive runner-up finish.[18] Press was also named Soccer America Player of the Year,[19] Pac-10 Player of the Year, and earned All-Pac-10 first team and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) first-team All-American honors.[16][20] She displayed academic proficiency as well, receiving Academic All-America honors and winning the Pac-10's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for soccer.[16]

Source[9]

Press (far right) with her magicJack teammates during a match against the Boston Breakers on August 6, 2011. From left to right: Sauerbrunn, Rampone, Dalmy, Huffman, Wambach, Boxx, Press

Press was drafted to the Washington Freedom as the fourth overall pick in the 2011 WPS Draft.[21][22] Under new ownership, the team moved to Florida and was renamed magicJack. She scored her first goal in the 64th minute of magicJack's 2–0 victory over the Atlanta Beat in May. Of the goal, Press said, "It was so good to finish. Being a forward, we go into every game thinking our job is to score, so it's nice to finally get that accomplished."[23] During a 4–0 win against the Boston Breakers in July, Press scored her first hat trick in a professional match.[24][25] After losing in the semifinal of the playoffs, she was awarded the U.S. Soccer Federation's Rookie of the Year award in part for being the first-ever rookie to have a hat trick.[26] Press finished the season having started in 16 of the 19 games in which she appeared for magicJack.[27] Her eight goals ranked third in the league.[28] During the offseason, Press signed with the Atlanta Beat; however, the league suspended operations before the season began.[29][30]

After Women's Professional Soccer folded in early 2012, Press signed a new professional contract with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in the Damallsvenskan, the top division league in Sweden.[31] Her first game with Göteborg was a 2012–13 UEFA Women's Champions League quarterfinal match against Arsenal that ended in a 3–0 loss.[32]

During her regular season debut with Göteborg on April 10 against Djurgården, she scored two goals (a brace), with her first goal coming in the fifth minute of the match.[33] Later in the month, she scored another brace, this time with the goals scored five minutes apart in the team's 6–0 victory over KIF Örebro.[34] In August, Press recorded her third brace, this time scoring two minutes apart as Göteborg defeated Umeå 5–0.[35] Press ended the year as the second-highest scorer in the Damallsvenskan with 17 league goals, behind only Anja Mittag, and scored a total of 25 in all competitions.[36]

During the quarterfinals of the Swedish Cup, Press scored two goals in a 3–0 victory over Kristianstad.[37] In the semifinals, her thirteenth-minute goal helped Göteborg defeat LdB Malmö 2–1 and progress to the championship final.[38] Göteborg won the championship over Tyresö FF by a score of 2–1 after extra time, with Press involved in both goals. She scored in the ninth minute of the game and then drew a penalty in the added time, which Marlene Sjöberg converted to secure the cup.[39][40]

Press playing for Tyresö FF at the Svenska Supercupen, 2013

In early 2013, Press signed with Damallsvenskan champions, Tyresö FF, in Stockholm.[41] For the second consecutive season, she scored a goal in her regular season debut.[42] Press scored four goals in a 10–2 win over Sunnanå SK.[43][44] During the team's next match, she scored two goals helping the team defeat Jitex BK 7–0.[45] On June 9, 2013, she scored a hat trick during the squad's 5–1 win over Kristianstads DFF.[46] After following up with a pair of goals scored in each of Tyresö's next two matches, Press scored her second and third hat tricks of the season, the second in a 5–0 win over Jitex IK on August 24,[47] and the following in an eventual 8–0 win against Sunnanå IF.[48] During the team's last match of the regular season, Press scored twice against her former team, Göteborg FC, helping Tyresö win 4–1.[49]

Press finished the season as the top scorer in the league with 23 goals, becoming the first American to do so in the history of the Damallsvenskan.[50] Tyresö finished second during the regular season with a 14–6–2 record and thus qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Women's Champions League.[50] In October, Press scored Tyresö's only two goals during the 2013–14 UEFA Women's Champions League's Round of 32 match, securing a 2–1 aggregate win over French side Paris Saint-Germain Féminines, and sending her team to the Round of 16.[51] In 2013, she scored three times in the Svenska Cupen and nine times in the 2013–14 UEFA Women's Champions League competitions, for a total goal tally of 37.[52] Her nine goals scored in the Champions League helped lift the team to the 2014 UEFA Women's Champions League Final where they lost 4–3 to VfL Wolfsburg.[53]

Christen Press warming up as a Red Star on May 2, 2015

In January 2014, the Chicago Red Stars announced that Press would be joining their roster for the 2014 season following the conclusion of her time with Tyresö in the 2013–14 Champions League.[54] After Press joined the team in late May (two months into the 2014 NWSL season), she scored a team-high of six goals while playing in only 12 matches and was awarded the team's Golden Boot.[55] During a match on July 4 against reigning champions Portland Thorns FC at Providence Park, she scored two goals in the last fifteen minutes to equalize the score, after being down 2–0 at halftime.[56] On August 16, she scored another brace with goals in the 17th and 60th minutes helping Chicago draw 3–3 against Western New York Flash.[57] Chicago finished fifth during the regular season with a 9–7–8 record.[58] Press was named to the league's second XI team by players, coaches, and media.[59]

Press returned to the Chicago Red Stars for the 2015 season. During the team's first home match against Seattle Reign FC, she scored a brace and assisted a goal scored by Jen Hoy, resulting in a 3–2 win.[60] She was subsequently named the league's NWSL Player of the Week for week two of the season.[61] On April 25, Press scored two early goals in a drawn match against Portland. At the end of April, having recorded four goals and one assist, Press was the league's goal leader and was named NWSL Player of the Month.[62] Press missed the next eight games due to her participation in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. After returning, she scored four goals in a three-game span, including a brace in the Red Stars' 2–2 draw with FC Kansas City on August 1.[63]

During the 2016 season, Press was named captain and tallied eight goals in 14 games.[27] She scored a goal in the NWSL Playoffs, though the Red Stars were eliminated after a 2–1 loss to the Washington Spirit in extra time.[64]

Press captained the team for a second season in 2017.[65] She was the top scorer on the team with 11 goals[66] and the fourth highest scorer in the league.[27][67] Chicago finished in fourth place during the regular season with an 11–7–6 record, securing a berth to the playoffs.[67] The team was defeated by regular season winners North Carolina Courage 1–0 during the semi-finals.[68] Press was named to the NWSL Best XI at the end of the season.[69]

On January 18, 2018, Press was traded to the Houston Dash as part a three-team trade which also included Carli Lloyd and Samantha Kerr.[70] On March 10, the Dash were informed that Press would not be joining the club and had multiple offers abroad in Sweden.[71]

In March 2018, Press signed a three-month contract with her former club Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, though the Dash still held her NWSL rights.[72][73] After scoring four goals in three games, Press was named Damallsvenskan Player of the Month for April.[74] In May, she scored a brace in the team's 3–1 win against IF Limhamn Bunkeflo.[75] On June 19, the team announced an agreement with NWSL expansion club, Utah Royals FC, to end her contract early so she could join the Royals for the remainder of the 2018 season.[76]

On June 18, Utah Royals FC announced they had acquired the rights to Press in a trade that sent Brooke Elby and six draft picks to the Chicago Red Stars.[77] She made her debut on June 27 in a 0–0 draw against the Seattle Reign.[78] Press competed in 11 games during the 2018 season, and scored 2 goals.[79] The Royals finished in fifth place during their inaugural season[80] narrowly missing a berth to the NWSL Playoffs.[81]

Press had a strong start to the 2019 NWSL season. She assisted on Lo'eau LaBonta's goal in a 1–0 over the Washington Spirit in Utah's season opener. The following week, Press scored the only goal in 1–0 Royals victory over the Orlando Pride. Press was named to the NWSL Team of the Month for April.[82] Due to her participation in the 2019 Women's World Cup and the USWNT Victory Tour, Press missed 11 games during the season. She recorded a goal or assist in her first five games with the Royals in 2019. Press was named NWSL Player of the Week for Week 17.[83] She was named NWSL Player of the Month for August, this was her second time being named player of the month.[84] Press finished second on the team in scoring with 8 goals. She was named the NWSL Best XI for 2019, this was her fourth time being named to the Best XI.[85]

As a member of the United States women's national soccer team player pool, Press was named to the squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, though she attended as an alternate, and did not make the final roster.[86]

Press playing for the U.S. at Avaya Stadium, May 2015

She earned her first cap for the national team on February 9 in a friendly against Scotland. After scoring the first two goals of the match playing as a right midfielder, she provided the assist on the United States' third goal. Press is only the third woman to score two goals on her first match for the U.S. national team following Cindy Parlow Cone in 1996 and Sherrill Kester in 2000. The U.S. defeated Scotland 4–1 and Press was named Budweiser Woman of the Match.[87][88][89] Four days later, she scored another goal during her second cap, helping the U.S. defeat Scotland 2–0. No other American woman has scored three goals in her first two games.[90] Press' third cap for the national team occurred at the 2013 Algarve Cup during the team's first group stage match against Iceland on March 6, 2013. Press subbed in during the 64th minute for Carli Lloyd and the U.S. defeated Iceland 3–0.[91] During the team's next group stage match on March 8, 2013, Press scored the fourth goal in a commanding 5–0 win over China. With the goal against China, Press became the fifth women's national team player to score at least four goals in her first four matches.[92] She earned two additional caps at the Algarve during the knockout stage match against Sweden led by former United States coach, Pia Sundhage, and started in the final against Germany.[93] The United States took first at the 2013 Algarve Cup with a 2–0 win over Germany. Press finished her first year with the senior national team with eight goals in 12 matches.

Press in 2015

Press scored a career-high 11 goals (and ranked third-best on the national team) in 2014.[1] During a group stage match against Argentina at the 2014 International Tournament of Brasília, she scored four goals helping the U.S. win 7–0,[94] and qualify for the championship game.[m 1] Earlier in the year, she scored a goal against Russia in a friendly on February 8, 2014 and again on February 13, 2014.[m 2] She was selected by national team head coach Tom Sermanni to play at the 2014 Algarve Cup. In October, Press featured in the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship where the team won the tournament.[95]

Press was named to the national team squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.[96] On June 8, she made her first tournament start against Australia and scored her first World Cup goal in the 61st minute.[97] She played in four of the team's seven games, starting two, helping the U.S. progress to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.[98] The U.S. won the tournament after defeating Japan 5–2.[99][100]

Press was selected as one of the 18 members of the Summer Olympics team.[101] After the team advanced to the knockout stages, they lost in the quarter finals to Sweden. After a 1–1 draw, they lost 4–3 on a penalty shootout with Press missing the team's decisive final kick.[102] Supporters on social media started the #DogsforChristen hashtag to cheer her up[103][104] and it became a trending worldwide topic on Twitter.[105] Press competed in all four of the team's matches and was a starting forward in the 2–2 draw against Colombia.[106]

Press was one of two U.S. Players to appear in all 25 games in 2016.[107] She finished 2016 with 12 goals, which was the third straight year she recorded double-figure goals and was her best goal-scoring record on the team.[108] She became the fifth player in team history to score double-figure goals for three consecutive years, joining Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Tiffeny Milbrett, and Carli Lloyd in the team record books.[1]

Press with the national team in 2017.

Press playing for the national team in 2017.

In 2017 Press once again appeared in every game for the United States and was one of only three players to do so.[109][1] She scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Norway in a June friendly. At the 2017 Tournament of Nations held in three different venues in California and Washington, Press scored a goal in the 80th minute against Brazil to lift the U.S. score deficit to 3–2. Five minutes later, she provided the assist to Megan Rapinoe's equalizer. With an additional goal from Julie Ertz, the team turned the game around for a 4–3 win.[110] She finished 2017 with three goals and three assists.[1]

Press was named to the roster for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup in February.[111] The U.S. won the tournament for the second time.[112] After she was traded against her wishes to the Houston Dash, Press declined to join the team and was reportedly considering multiple offers from Swedish clubs.[113][114] She was subsequently left off the U.S roster for a set of friendlies against Mexico in April 2018, with head coach Jill Ellis stating: "We've had several conversations and [Press] understands our expectations are that a consistent training and match environment for a professional is an important factor for selection into women's national team rosters...I am certain that once Christen transitions to a new team, she will embrace being back on the pitch and will help her team be successful."[115]

After signing with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC at the end of March, Press was called up to the next U.S. camp in June for a set of friendlies against China.[116] On June 12, Press became the 37th female player in U.S history to play in 100 games for the US Women's National Team. She had two assists in the game as the U.S. won 2–1.[117] On August 31, Press was honored for her 100th cap during a friendly against Chile in her hometown of Los Angeles and captained the team. She scored a goal in the 59th minute and the U.S. won 3–0.[118]

In September, Press was named to the 20-player squad for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship.[119] She recorded a goal and two assists in a 5–0 victory over Panama in the group stage.[120] The U.S. won their second consecutive CONCACAF Championship and earned a berth to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.[121][122]

In January 2019, Press scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Spain in a friendly in Alicante.[123] At the 2019 SheBelieves Cup she assisted on Alex Morgan's goal, one minute after entering the game.[124] A month later in a friendly against Belgium, Press recorded 3 assists in a 6–0 victory.[125]

On May 2, 2019 Press was named to the final 23–player roster for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup—this was her second time to play for the Cup.[126]

Press appeared in all three group stage games and started and played the full 90 minutes in the second group match against Chile. She was a second half substitute in both the Round of 16 and the quarter-final matches. Press started the semi-final match against England and scored a goal in the 10th minute, to put the USA ahead 1-0, the United States would go on to win 2-1, advancing to their third straight World Cup Final.[127] Press appeared in the World Cup Final as a second half substitute replacing Megan Rapinoe. She was one of four U.S players to play in all seven World Cup games.[128] The United States defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the Final, to win their second consecutive World Cup. This was Press' second World Cup win.

On November 7, 2019 Press became the 12th player in USWNT history to score 50 international goals. Her 50th goal occurred in the 28th minute of a friendly against Sweden. The United States won 3-2 and Press also recorded an assist in the game.[129] Press finished 2019 with 5 goals and 12 assists. Her 12 assists lead the team, she was also the only member of the USWNT to appear in all 24 games in 2019.[130]

Press was named to the 20-player roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament, this would be her second time participating in Olympic qualifying.[131] Press scored in all three group stage games, including two goals against Costa Rica. She also scored in the semi-final against Mexico. After the U.S. defeated Canada in the Championship game, Press was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournaments best player.[132]

As of match played October 12, 2019

As of March 11, 2020[134][135][136][137][138]

• CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2014, 2018
• FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015, 2019
• Algarve Cup: 2013,[154] 2015[155]
• CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016;[156] 2020[157]
• She Believes Cup: 2016;[158] 2018;[159] 2020[160]
• Tournament of Nations: 2018

• Hermann Trophy: 2010[161]
• Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year: 2010[162]
• Soccer America Player of the Year Award: 2010[163]
• WPS Rookie of the Year: 2011[164]
• GT:s Kristallkulan 2012 [165]
• Damallsvenskan Golden Boot award (Tyresö FF): 2013[50]
• NWSL Second XI: 2014[166]
• NWSL Best XI: 2015,[167] 2016,[168] 2017,[169] 2019[170]
• NWSL Player of the Month: 2015 (April),[171] 2019 (August)
• NWSL Player of the Week: 2015 (Week 2),[172] 2017 (Week 6),[173] 2019 (Week 17)
• Damallsvenskan Player of the Month: 2018 (April) (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC) [174]
• CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Golden Ball: 2020[157]
• CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Best XI: 2020

• Swedish Cup (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC): 2012[175]
• UEFA Women's Champions League (Tyresö FF): 2013–14 Runner up[176]

Press has appeared in several advertisements and promotional pieces for Nike.[177][178] In 2014, she was featured in a promo for Wheaties.[179] In May 2015, she starred in television commercials for Coppertone.[180][181] She became a brand ambassador for nutritional product manufacturer Genesis Today in February 2016.[182] In January 2018, she partnered with Hydrive Energy Water.[183][184] She has appeared in videos for animal rights organization PETA.[185]

Press' likeness appeared on The Simpsons along with teammates Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach in May 2015.[186] The same year, she starred in the short film, An Equal Playing Field.[187][188] She has been featured in a number of magazines including Self,[189] Howler,[190] Shape,[191] Darling Magazine[192] and Glamour.[193] In 2015, she was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Yoga Digest.[194][195] In 2016, Press posed nude for the ESPN's annual The Body Issue magazine.[196]

Press was featured with her national teammates in the EA Sports' FIFA video game series in FIFA 16, the first time women players were included in the game.[197] In October 2015, she was announced as a host for FOX Sports' @The Buzzer[198] and led a Chicago Cubs crowd in singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" along with teammates Julie Ertz and Lori Chalupny.[199]

Following the United States' win at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Press and her teammates became the first women's sports team to be honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City.[200] Each player received a key to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio.[201] In October of the same year, the team was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.[202]