Whitney Elizabeth Engen (born November 28, 1987) is an American soccer player and FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She most recently played as a defender for the

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning four Women's World Cup titles ( 1991, 1999, 2015, an ...

as well as the

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...

of the National Women's Soccer League, the highest division of women's soccer in the United States. She first appeared for the United States national team during the

2011 Algarve Cup The 2011 Algarve Cup was the eighteenth edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place between 2–9 March 2011. Format The twelve invited teams were split into three groups that p ...

in a match against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

on March 4. During her time with the team, she made 40 appearances for the team and scored four goals. Engen has represented the United States in one FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015 and one Olympic tournament in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

. Engen played collegiate soccer with the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2006 to 2009. Following her collegiate career, she was selected fourth overall by the

Chicago Red Stars The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...

in the

2010 WPS Draft The 2010 WPS College Draft took place on January 15, 2010. It was the second college draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams. Format Western New York Flash The Western New York Flash (WNY Flash) was an American soccer club based in Elma, New York that competed in the United Women's Soccer league. They have won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-League in 2010, Women's Pro ...

Tyresö FF Tyresö Fotbollsförening is a Sweden, Swedish association football, football club in Tyresö, a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Stockholm County. The club was founded in 1971 and is primarily known for its main women's team, which compe ...

Pali Blues Pali Blues was an American women's association football, soccer team, which played from 2008 to 2014. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team pl ...

, Liverpool Ladies and the

Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC. History Establishment On November ...

before ending up with the Boston Breakers for the 2016 NWSL season. On October 2, 2016, Engen announced that she had been released by the United States women's national team. On February 6, 2017, Engen announced that she was stepping away from professional soccer and will not play in the NWSL in 2017.

Early life

Born in

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...

to parents Chris and Kim Engen, Whitney was raised with her brother, Taylor. Although Engen aspired to be a gymnast, her tall stature limited her ability to do gymnastics. Instead, she switched to soccer. Growing up, her family was also very competitive and encouraged friendly competitions between her and her brother.Engen played club soccer growing up, ending her youth career with Slammers FC (SFC) in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws ...

. Her previous team did not give her playing time, leading her to switch to SFC, joining future national teammate

Christen Press Christen Annemarie Press (born December 29, 1988) is an American soccer player for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She first appeared for the United States national team during an ...

. While with SFC, the team won back-to-back state and regional championships in 2004 and 2005. The team also appeared in national championships during those years, taking second in 2004 and third in 2005. During her youth career, Engen also played with the '86 Olympic Development Program team that clinched regional and national titles. Engen attended

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is a public high school in Rolling Hills Estates, California, United States. History The school was formed in 1991 when Miraleste High School, Palos Verdes High School, and Rolling Hills High School were merge ...

Rolling Hills Estates, California Rolling Hills Estates is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. On the northern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, facing Torrance, Rolling Hills Estates is mostly residential. Incorporated in 1957, Rolling Hills Estates has ...

where she played varsity soccer during her freshman and sophomore years. She played two years of varsity soccer as a forward and attacking midfielder. She did not play during her junior year due to an injury and opted to concentrate on club soccer during senior year and did not play with her high school team. She was also named the Most Valuable Offensive Player as a freshman and Most Valuable Player as a sophomore. Engen graduated high school on June 15, 2006 and Soccer Buzz ranked her among the Top 25 recruits in the nation.

University of North Carolina

Engen attended the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

and played soccer for the

Tar Heels Tar Heel is a nickname applied to the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans. The origins of the Tar Heel nickname trace back to North Carolina's promi ...

under head coach

Anson Dorrance Albert Anson Dorrance IV (born April 9, 1951) is an American soccer coach. He is currently the head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina. He has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of ath ...

all four years. She began her college career with the Tar Heels playing as a forward before transitioning to central defense. During her time there, the Tar Heels won the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship three times: in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Brittany Bock, Whitney Engen 2006

During her 2006 season as a freshman, Engen appeared in 27 games, starting 24. She had the third most points at Carolina that season with 37 and was tied for second most goals and assists on the team with 12 and 13, respectively. In the ACC Tournament, Engen had at least one point in each of the team's matches, including two goals against

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The unive ...

in the quarterfinals, two assists against

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

in the semifinals, and an assist on the game-winning goal in overtime against Florida State University in the final. In the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, Engen had at least one point in five of six of the team's matches, including two goals against

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

in the second round, a goal and assists against the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

in the third round, a goal against

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in the quarterfinals, and an assist on the game-winning goal against Notre Dame in the final to help the Tar Heels take the NCAA Championship. After a successful freshman season, Engen won Carolina's soccer team Gift of Fury award. She was also named to the Soccer Buzz All-America Freshman Second-Team, Soccer America All-Freshman Second-Team, Top Drawer Soccer All-Freshman First-Team, ACC All-Tournament team, ACC All-Freshman Team, and Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Freshman Team. During the 2007 season, Engen appeared in 23 games, starting all 23. She had the third most points on the team during the season with 20. She scored six goals and recorded eight assists in the season, her first goal being against the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand- ...

. In the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, Engen scored two goals and recorded an assist against

High Point University High Point University is a private university in High Point, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The university was founded as High Point College in 1924, and it became High Point University in October 1991. HPU of ...

in the first round. In addition, she had goals in matches against

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the second round. At the end of the season, Engen was named to the All-ACC Academic team. In her junior season, Engen switched from being a forward to center back for the Tar Heels. She appeared started all 28 games for the team and led the team in minutes played with 2,518. She recorded three assists in the season. In addition, she tied the school record for games played and started in a season. In the ACC Tournament, Engen recorded an assist in the victory against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

in the championship final. In the NCAA Tournament, Engen recorded an assist on the game-winning goal against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in the quarterfinals. The Tar Heels went on to win the 2008 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament after a 2–1 win over Notre Dame. After another successful season, Engen was named to the

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

All-America Third Team, Soccer Buzz All-America Second-Team, All-ACC Second Team, ACC All-Tournament Team, NSCAA All-Southeast Region Team, and Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Team. Academically, Engen received ACC All-Academic Team and NSCAA Collegiate Scholar All-America First Team honors. In the 2009 season, Engen appeared in all 27 games for the team, starting all 27. In her 2,365 minutes played, Engen scored one goal and recorded three assists in the season. The Tar Heels went on to win the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament after a 1–0 win over Stanford in the championship game. As a senior, she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top soccer player.

Club career

Pali Blues, 2009

On April 16, 2009, Engen and North Carolina teammate

Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Michelle Harris (born October 19, 1985) is a former American soccer player for Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States wome ...

signed with the

of the W-League. The W-League was often used by college players as a summer playing option because of its status as an open league, allowing college players to maintain eligibility. The Pali Blues went undefeated in the regular season and then went on to win the W-League Championship with a 2–1 win over

Washington Freedom Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's Uni ...

in the final.

Chicago Red Stars, 2010

On January 15, 2010, Engen was drafted fourth overall to the

Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...

in the

Western New York Flash, 2011

In December 2010, the

Western New York Flash The Western New York Flash (WNY Flash) was an American soccer club based in Elma, New York that competed in the United Women's Soccer league. They have won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-League in 2010, Women's Pro ...

, previously part of the W-League, joined the WPS for the 2011 season. Shortly after, Engen signed with the team. She played in 17 of the team's 18 regular season games to help the Flash finish first in the regular season and advance to the playoffs. Engen appeared in the 2011 WPS Championship on August 27, 2011 against the Philadelphia Independence. The game was tied 1–1 after regulation and extra time, leaving the outcome of the match to be decided by penalty kicks. The Flash won the championship after goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris blocked the shot by Philadelphia's Laura del Rio. Following the 2011 season, Engen was named WPS Defender of the Year and to the 2011 WPS Top XI.

Tyresö FF, 2011

Immediately following the 2011 WPS season, Engen joined Swedish team

on loan. She made her first appearance for the team on September 4, 2011 in a match against

Umeå IK Umeå IK () is a professional association football club based in the city of Umeå, in northern Sweden, and currently playing Damallsvenskan, the first tier of women's football in Sweden. They were one of the most successful football clubs in ...

and made a total of six appearances while with the team and scored one goal. She made her final appearance of the season on October 15.

Second stint at Pali Blues, 2012

On January 30, 2012, it was announced that the 2012 WPS season would be suspended following legal and financial challenges. Although the league was intended to resume for the 2013 season, it officially folded in May. In April, Engen joined the Pali Blues of the W-League for the 2012 season.

Liverpool L.F.C., 2013

In October 2012, following the W-League season, Engen signed with English club Liverpool Ladies in the Football Association Women's Super League, the highest division of women's soccer in England, for the 2013 season from April to September. She made her first appearance for the team on April 14 in a match against Notts County Ladies FC. She made 12 total league appearances for the team. She made one goal in a match against Chelsea LFC on May 12. 2014-03-29 Ty03 Whitney Engen 4452

Second stint at Tyresö FF, 2013

Tyresö announced in August 2013 that they had agreed a deal to re-sign Engen at the end of her Liverpool contract. She was expected to move back to Sweden in late September or early October and would be available to play for Tyresö in their

UEFA Women's Champions League The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. The ...

games. Engen, former UNC teammate Ashlyn Haris, and Ali Krieger all signed short-term contracts with the team. They joined United States national team members

and

Meghan Klingenberg Meghan Elizabeth Klingenberg (born August 2, 1988) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A former member of the United States women's national soccer team, she is ...

, who were already with the club on long-term contracts. In December 2013, Tyresö revealed that Engen had extended her contract and would stay in Sweden until June 2014 in orto pursue Champions League glory along with Press and Klingenberg.

Houston Dash, 2014

Following the folding of the WPS in 2012, the United States Soccer Federation formed a new professional soccer league, the National Women's Soccer League, which played its inaugural season in 2013. Although Engen opted to play in Liverpool for the 2013 season, Engen was allocated to NWSL expansion team

via the 2014

NWSL Player Allocation The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) federation players were players whose salaries for playing in the NWSL were paid for by their respective national federations from 2013 to 2021. American federation players were contracted to the United Sta ...

in January 2014 She made her first appearance for the team on June 8 in a match against

Sky Blue FC NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 ...

. Engen made a total of 11 appearances for the team in the regular season, playing a total of 978 minutes. The Dash finished last in the league and did not advance to the playoffs.

Second stint at Western New York Flash, 2015

On October 16, 2014, the Houston Dash traded Engen, Becky Edwards, and a third round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft in exchange for Carli Lloyd from the Western New York Flash. Engen missed almost half of the 2015 NWSL season due to commitments with the United States women's national team at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She made three appearances for the Flash before the World Cup then returned to the team on July 19 in a match against

. She made 12 total appearances for the team in the regular season, playing 1080 minutes. The Flash finished seventh in the league and did not advance to the playoffs.

Boston Breakers, 2016

The Western New York Flash announced on November 10, 2015 that they had traded Engen to the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for

Abby Erceg Abby May Erceg (born 20 November 1989) is a professional New Zealand footballer who plays as a defender. She is the captain of the North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League. She has previously played for Chicago Red Stars ...

, Adriana Leon, and a first-round pick in the

2016 NWSL College Draft Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film d ...

. The Chicago Red Stars then announced on November 23 that they had traded Engen to the Boston Breakers in exchange for

Alyssa Naeher Alyssa Michele Naeher (born April 20, 1988) is an American soccer goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She was on the 23-player roster for the United States at t ...

and a third-round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Engen remained with the Breakers for the 2016 season before joining the United States women's national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. Engen returned to the Breakers in late August, following the completion of the games, and made five more appearances for the team. The Breakers finished the 2016 season last in the league and did not advance to the playoffs. The Breakers named Engen Defender of the Year following the 2016 season.

Taking off the 2017 season

On February 6, 2017, Engen announced that she was "stepping away" from soccer and would not rejoin the Boston Breakers for the 2017 NWSL season. Although Engen would not be playing professional soccer with a club team or with the United States national team, she made it clear that there was a possibility she might return to the NWSL in the future.

International career

Senior national team

First caps, 2010–12

Engen received her first call up to the United States women's national team in March 2010 for a training camp that included two matches against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

on March 28 and 31. She was then called into a training camp in September leading into two matches against China on October 2 and 6. Engen was not named to the roster for the

2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying The 2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying was the sixth edition of the CONCACAF W Championship, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by the senior women's national teams of the member associations of CONCACA ...

tournament and did not return to the national team until early 2011. Engen returned to the national team in 2011 for a six-day training camp at

Home Depot Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...

in Carson, California from January 8 to 13. Engen then joined the national team for a 32-player training camp in Florida that took place from February 3 to 9 in preparation for the

. Following the camp, Engen was named to the 23-player roster for the Algarve Cup. Engen made her first appearance for the national team in the second match of the Algarve Cup on March 4 against

. She came in for Ali Krieger in the 78th minute to help the United States defeat Norway 2–0. Engen also made an appearance during the team's final group match against

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

on March 7. The United States went on to win the 2011 Algarve Cup title after a 4–2 win over

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

in the final. From April 18 to May 6, Engen joined the national team for a three-week training camp in Florida. Following the training camp, the 21-player roster for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup was released and Engen was not a member of the team. Following the World Cup, Engen trained with the national team for two weeks in November in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

leading into a match against Sweden on November 19. Engen was then called up for an 18-day training camp in Carson, California at The Home Depot Center from December 3 to 20. Although Engen did not play a game with the national team in 2012, she traveled and trained extensively with the team throughout the year. Engen trained with the national team during the first training camp of 2012 from January 7 to 15. She was not named to the 20-player roster for the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament but joined the team following the tournament for a training camp in

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...

. On February 17, Engen was named to a 23-player roster that would travel to Portugal for the

2012 Algarve Cup The 2012 Algarve Cup was the nineteenth edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It began on 29 February and ended on 7 March 2012. Format The twelve invited teams were split into three ...

. She was subsequently named to the roster of 21 players that would suit up for the matches of the tournament but did not make an appearance during the tournament. Engen traveled to Japan with the national team for the Women's Kirin Challenge Cup in early April. Following the tournament, she trained with the national team in Florida from April 18 to 30. She was then called up to a training camp in Princeton, New Jersey from May 10 to 25 in preparation for a match against China on May 27 but was not named to the 18-player roster for the match. Engen was not named to the roster that would represent the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

2013–14

In January 2013, Engen was called up to a 29-player training camp leading up to two matches against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

in early February. On February 21, Engen was named to the 23-player roster for the 2013 Algarve Cup in Portugal that took place from March 6 to 13. She made her fourth career appearance for the team on March 8 in the match against China. She started the match and scored the fifth and final goal of the game in the 84th minute. Engen came in for

Shannon Boxx Shannon Leigh Boxx Spearman (; born June 29, 1977) is an American retired soccer player and former member of the United States women's national soccer team, playing the defensive midfielder position. She last played club soccer for the Chicago Re ...

in the 85th minute of the match against Sweden on March 11 and started in the final match against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to help the United States win the Algarve Cup title. Following the 2013 Algarve Cup, Engen traveled to Europe with the national team for matches against Germany and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in early April. In late May, Engen was named to the 21-player roster that traveled to Canada to train in preparation for a match against Canada on June 2. She played all 90 minutes of the match to help the United States win 3–0. Engen started off 2014 at a national team training camp from January 8 to 15 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center in Carson, California. On February 24, Engen was named to the 24-player roster for the

2014 Algarve Cup The 2014 Algarve Cup was the 21st edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place between 5–12 March 2014. Format The twelve invited teams are split into three groups that played ...

that took place from March 5 to 12. She played all 90 minutes of the team's first match of the tournament on March 5 against Japan, a 1–1 draw. Engen started and played all 90 minutes in the match against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

on March 10, a 5–3 defeat for the United States. The United States finished seventh in the tournament after a win over

Korea DPR North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

on March 12, although Engen did not appear in that final match. Engen joined the team for a two-game series against China in April. She started in the match on April 6 and came in for an injured

Rachel Van Hollebeke Rachel Marie Buehler Van Hollebeke ( ; ; born August 26, 1985) is an American former soccer player who last played as a defender for the Portland Thorns FC and the United States women's national soccer team. In 2015, Van Hollebeke retired from ...

in the seventh minute of the second match on April 10. In late April, Engen was named to a 22-player roster for a match against Canada scheduled for May 8. She started the match, which ended in a 1–1 draw. She was then named to the roster for two games against France on June 14 and 19. She started in the second match on June 19. England Women's Vs USA (18311361330)

Engen joined the national team for a training camp at the end of August in order to prepare for two matches against Mexico in September as well as the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Qualifying tournament in October. Engen came in during the second half of the match on September 13 and scored the team's sixth goal in the 58th minute. Following the matches, Engen was named to the roster for the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship that served as a qualification for the

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the ...

. Engen made three appearances in the tournament. She started for the United States in their second group match against Guatemala on October 17. She scored a goal in the 58th minute to help the United States defeat Guatemala, 5–0. She also played all 90 minutes in the team's final group match against Haiti on October 20. Her third appearances came during the semifinal match against Mexico on October 24, a 3–0 victory for the United States that also qualified them for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The United States went on to win the tournament after a 6–0 victory over Costa Rica on October 26. Following the CONCACAF Qualifying tournament, Engen was named to the 24-player roster for the International Tournament of Brasília in Brazil that took place from December 10 to 21. She made one appearance during the tournament during the match against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

on December 18. The United States faced Brazil in the final. Although the game was a 0–0 draw, the tournament title was given to Brazil, who had more points from the group stage.

2015 and the FIFA Women's World Cup

Engen started off the year at a 21-day training camp in 2015 from January 5 to 25 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California. Following the training camp, Engen was named to the 24-player team that would travel on a 13-day trip to Europe for matches against France and England in mid-February. Engen played all 90 minutes in the match against France on February 8. She also played all 90 minutes in the match against England on February 13, which was a shutout victory for the United States. On February 21, Engen was named to the 25-player roster for the

2015 Algarve Cup The 2015 Algarve Cup was the 22nd edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place on 4–11 March. Format Because of the number of competitive teams this year, the format was change ...

in Portugal. However, she did not appear in the tournament due to a hamstring injury. She was then named to a 25-player roster on March 20 for a match against New Zealand on April 4 in St. Louis. She did not appear in the match. On April 14, 2015, Engen was named to the 23-player roster that would represent the United States at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She did not appear in a match during the tournament, but became a World Cup Champion on July 5, when the United States defeated Japan 5–2 in the Women's World Cup final. Engen joined the national team on a Victory Tour following their World Cup win that started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 16 and ended in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 16.

2016 and the Summer Olympics

Engen joined the national team for their first training camp of the year at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California from January 5 to 21. Following the training camp, head coach Jill Ellis released the 20-player roster for the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament and Engen did not make the team. Engen was named to the roster for the

2016 SheBelieves Cup The 2016 SheBelieves Cup was the inaugural edition of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held in the United States. It took place between March 3 and 9, 2016, before the 2016 Summer Olympics. Teams Squads For ...

that took place from March 3 to 9. She came in for Meghan Klingenberg during the team's opening match against England on March 3. She also made appearances in the final two matches of the tournament, helping the United States win the 2016 SheBelieves Cup with a 2–1 win over Germany in their final game. Following the tournament, Engen joined a 23-player roster for a training camp ahead of two matches against Colombia in early April. Engen was also on the roster for another two-game series against Japan in early June. On July 12, 2016, Engen was named to the 18-player team that would represent the United States at the

2016 Olympic Games ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro d ...

. She made her Olympic debut on August 6 in place of an injured

Julie Ertz Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

in their second group match against France. She played all 90 minutes of the match to help the United States win 1–0. Engen once again started in the team's final group match on August 9 against Colombia, which ended in a 2–2 draw. Engen did not make an appearance during the team's match against Sweden on August 12. The United States fell to Sweden in a penalty shootout and did not advance in the tournament. This was the first time the United States women's team did not medal in an Olympic tournament.

Release from the national team

On October 2, 2016, Engen announced that she had been released by the United States women's national team. In her announcement of the news on Twitter, Engen stated that she was surprised but proud of her accomplishments with the team. At the time of her release, Engen had made 40 appearances for the team and scored 4 goals.

Player statistics

Olympic appearances

International goals

Personal

Engen got engaged to Ryan Flanagan in September 2019. Engen studied political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her parents encouraged her to have a plan after soccer. Engen officially became sworn in as an attorney on October 26, 2020. Engen is also an avid baker.

Style of play

Engen is a strong defender in one-on-one situations and has stated that she believes this to be her strongest asset. In addition, she is known for her "commanding presence in the middle of the field and as a fine aerial threat for headers on set pieces."

Honors and awards

Individual

College

Gift of Fury award: 2006 * Soccer Buzz All-America Freshman Second-Team: 2006 * Soccer America All-Freshman Second-Team: 2006 * Top Drawer Soccer All-Freshman First-Team: 2006 * Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Second-Team: 2006 * Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Freshman Team: 2006 *

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

All-Tournament Team: 2006 * ACC All-Freshman Team: 2006 * ACC All-Academic Women's Soccer Team: 2006 * ACC Academic Honor Roll: 2007 * All-ACC Academic Team: 2007 * Soccer Buzz All-America Second-Team: 2008 *

All-America Third-Team: 2008 * All-ACC Second-Team: 2008 * ACC All-Tournament Team: 2008 * ACC All-Academic Team: 2008 * NSCAA Collegiate Scholar All-America First-Team: 2008 * NSCAA All-Southeast Region Team: 2008 * Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Team: 2008 * Duke adidas Classic MVP: 2008 * ACC Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year: 2009 * Honda Sports Award:2010

Club

* WPS Defender of the Year: 2011 * WPS Top XI: 2011

Team

* NCAA Women's Soccer Championship: 2006, 2008, 2009 * W-League Championship: 2009 * WPS Championship: 2011 *

FA Women's Super League The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features ...

: 2013 *

Algarve Cup The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious an ...

: 2011, 2013, 2015 *

CONCACAF Women's Championship The CONCACAF W Championship (previously known as the CONCACAF Women's Championship, CONCACAF Women's Invitational Tournament, CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup and CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying) is a football competition organized by the Confede ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

* FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015 *

SheBelieves Cup The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women's soccer tournament held in different cities in the United States in late February or early March. In its first three years (2016, 2017 and 2018), it was contested by the same four teams: the United ...

: 2016

References

;Match report

External links

*
US Soccer player profile

North Carolina player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Engen, Whitney 1987 births Living people People from Torrance, California Soccer players from California North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer players American women's soccer players Pali Blues players Women's Professional Soccer players Chicago Red Stars players USL W-League (1995–2015) players Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden Expatriate women's footballers in England Tyresö FF players Liverpool F.C. Women players Women's Super League players Damallsvenskan players Houston Dash players 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players FIFA Women's World Cup-winning players United States women's international soccer players Women's association football defenders Western New York Flash players Boston Breakers (NWSL) players National Women's Soccer League players Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Women's Olympic soccer players of the United States