Mak Whitham makes NWSL history as 14-year-old sensation plays Gotham FC debut

Mak Whitham has made NWSL history once more, becoming the youngest player to ever take to the field in a regular-season game in league history.

At just 14 years and 220 days old, Whitham was brought on with a minute to go in added time for NJ/NY Gotham FC during their 1-1 draw at the Seattle Reign.

Standing on the sideline and waiting to get on the pitch was pretty exciting.

I wanted to be out there and was ready, Whitham said in an interview with ESPN .

But what was even better was when Coach Juan [Carlos Amoros] came up to me and said, 'Enjoy the game and just be you.' And that was what I did.

Whitham went on to add that she just went in there to work really hard to make an impact and to help my team close out the game.

And she did just that, helping Gotham hold on to claim an away point despite having been a player down since Mandy Freemans 87th-minute red card.

It's been a dream come true what I've been doing, and I'm really proud of myself to have done it, she said.

But I still have many things in my future, and I know I can do it.

Shes a very special young player.

She is a player who came on not because I care about her beating the record, but because she deserves to be playing, she deserves to be in contention to be in this league even at that age, I don't really look at IDs when I put players on the pitch, Amoros said post-game.

Once the dust had settled, Whitham reiterated her delight following her debut in a post on X, commenting , Thank you for the opportunity @GothamFC and @NWSL ...I am excited for this year and its a dream come true! Whitham is no stranger to breaking records, having previously become the youngest soccer player to have made an appearance in a top-tier mens or womens game in U.S.

history following her debut against the Washington Spirit in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.

Whats more, no athlete has made an appearance at a younger age than Whitham in the NFL , NBA , MLB , NHL , or the WNBA since 1970, at the very least, as per the Elias Sports Bureau.

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Her professional debut came just two days after putting pen to paper on her first contract with Gotham FC, a matter of days before her 14th birthday.

In doing so, she became the youngest player to sign a deal in the history of the NWSL.

This marked the latest step in a whirlwind year for the Californian , who only joined up with Gotham FC during the 2024 preseason.

There, it didnt take long for Whitham to make a lasting impression, scoring in their 1-0 win against Colombian side Deportivo Cali.

Not that this was Whithams first experience signing the dotted line of a major contract, having already agreed to a Name, Image, and Likeness Deal with Nike in February - the youngest athlete in history to do so with the American sportswear giants.

I'm just super excited to be part of the Nike family.

They've done so many great things so far.

And it motivates me even harder.

I mean, not every kid gets to get signed by Nike, Whitham said, via ESPN .

Speaking after signing Whitham last summer, Gotham FC general manager Yael Averbuch West highlighted their cautious approach to the then-13-year-olds development.

The on-the-field is the easiest part of this, I think, and the quickest for us to kind of evaluate and know how to support her.

But we've undertaken a really robust process in terms of making sure that this is the right thing in her life, socially, mentally, and every in every possible way..

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