Megan Leigh Montefusco (; born September 3, 1992) is an American retired professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who most recently played for

Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Pride began play in the 2016 National Women's Soccer League season, 2016 ...

in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

. She has been capped internationally at senior level by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Montefusco has previously played for the

Chicago Red Stars Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...

in the

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States. History The WPSL is the longest-running active women's soccer league as it enters its 25th season in 2023. The WPSL is also the largest women ...

, for

NWSL The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

teams

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995� ...

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional women's 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 defu ...

Reign FC Seattle Reign FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign ar ...

and

Houston Dash The Houston Dash are an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Dash began play in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at Shell Energy Stadium. His ...

, as well as the

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...

in the Australian W-League.

Early life

Raised in

Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 United State ...

, Montefusco attended

Neuqua Valley High School Neuqua Valley High School (NVHS) is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Illinois Route 59 and 95th Street in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Neuqua Valley is the counterpa ...

where she led the soccer to team to a 24–0 record and first place national ranking. A four-time all-state selection and three-time

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 ...

Youth All-American, she was named All-American by both

ESPN RISE ''ESPN HS'' was a high school sports magazine published monthly during the school year in 25 markets around the United States. Founded as ''SchoolSports'' magazine in 1997, the publication changed its name to ''RISE'' in 2006 and was purchased ...

and

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

magazines in 2010, and won Gatorade State Player of the Year for Illinois the following year. Montefusco played club soccer for Windy City Pride from 1998 to 2011 and was a member of the regional Olympic Development Program (ODP) for five years. Prior to leaving for college, Montefusco played briefly for the

in the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. Chicago topped the Midwest Conference North Division and reached the Championship final, eventually losing to

Orange County Waves The Orange County Waves was a professional women's soccer team, based in Orange County, California. The team began play in 2011, won the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) National Championship and then folded at the end of its first season. ...

extra-time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

2–1.

Collegiate career

Montefusco attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

where she played four seasons of

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

for the

Bruins Bruin, (from Dutch for "brown"), is an English folk term for brown bear. Bruin, Bruins or BRUIN may also refer to: Places * Lake Bruin, ox-bow lake of the Mississippi River located in northeastern Louisiana ** Lake Bruin State Park * Bruin, K ...

from 2011 to 2014 while majoring in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

. She joined as the number 21 ranked recruit in the country and first in Illinois by

Top Drawer Soccer TopDrawerSoccer.com (TDS) is an American soccer website that is dedicated to youth soccer in the United States. Specifically, the website focuses on Academy soccer, high school soccer, and college soccer in the United States. The website was lau ...

. Montefusco played in 18 of 21 matches as a freshman under B. J. Snow, making seven starts. She scored her first Bruins goal and only goal of the 2011 season in a 1–0 win over Rutgers on September 4. In 2012, she made 22 appearances as a sophomore but none as a starter. In 2013 under new head coach Amanda Cromwell, Montefusco ranked fourth on the team in minutes played as the Bruins claimed the Pac-12 Conference title before also winning the first NCAA National Championship title in program history. She received All-Tournament honors and served the assist to the game-winning goal during the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, a 1–0 win in

over

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...

. As a senior in 2014, Montefusco started in all 24 of the Bruins' games and helped lead a defensive line that recorded a school record 19 shut-outs, allowing six goals on the year. UCLA retained the Pac-12 conference title and reached the 2014 NCAA College Cup quarterfinals before losing 2–1 to

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic Coast C ...

, the only game the Bruins gave up more than one goal in 2014.

Club career

Chicago Red Stars (WPSL)

Montefusco began her professional career in 2011 with the

, then playing in the second-tier

. The Red Stars won the North Division and, in the playoffs, made it to the

, but fell there to the

Washington Spirit, 2015–16

Montefusco was selected in the second round (13th overall) of the

2015 NWSL College Draft The 2015 NWSL College Draft was the third annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 16, 2015, at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Format *Dr ...

by the

, one of an NWSL record six strong draft class out of UCLA in 2015. During the 2015 season, she started in all 20 matches for the team and became the first player in team history to play every minute of a single season. She scored one goal, the opener in a 2–1 victory away to the

on August 16. The Spirit finished fourth during the regular season with a record to advance to the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

before losing 3–0 in the semifinals to

. Montefusco was named the 2015 Washington Spirit Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. In 2016, she made 17 appearances for the Spirit as the team finished second in the regular season, two points off

Portland Thorns FC Portland Thorns FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL ...

for the

NWSL Shield The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a ...

, and reached the NWSL Championship for the first time in club history before losing the final on penalties after a 2–2 tie with

Western New York Flash The Western New York Flash (WNY Flash) was an American women's soccer club based in Elma, New York, that most recently competed in the United Women's Soccer league in 2018. They won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-Leag ...

Newcastle Jets (loans), 2015–17

On October 8, 2015, Montefusco joined Australian W-League club

on loan for the 2015–16 season during the NWSL offseason and rejoined Newcastle for the 2016–17 season. The team finished 6th and 5th, missing the playoffs both seasons. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Montefusco was named to the PFA W-League Team of the Season.

Boston Breakers, 2017

On November 17, 2016, it was announced that Montefusco had been acquired by the

via trade along with the No. 3 and No. 9 overall picks in the

2017 NWSL College Draft The 2017 NWSL College Draft was the fifth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 12, 2017 at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in ...

and the No. 2 spot in the Distribution Ranking Order in exchange for

Kristie Mewis Kristie Anne Mewis (born February 25, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for West Ham United of the Women's Super League (WSL) and the United States national team. Early life Mewis grew up in Hanson, Massa ...

, Kassey Kallman and the No. 1 spot in the Distribution Ranking Order. She appeared in 23 of 24 matches during the 2017 season, playing the full 90 minutes in each as Boston finished second bottom ahead of Washington on goal difference.

Reign FC, 2018–19

After Boston Breakers folded in January 2018, Montefusco was selected by

as the third pick in the 2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft. In her first season with Reign, Montefusco started 21 games and scored once as the team finished third, dropping from second with a final day defeat to

before losing in the playoff semifinals to the same opponent a week later. She was a starter in all 20 of her appearances in 2019 before missing the last month of the season with a knee injury.

Houston Dash, 2020–21

On February 3, 2020,

acquired Montefusco in a trade with Reign FC along with

Shea Groom Shea Ellese Groom (born March 4, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Chicago Stars FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Groom played collegiate soccer for Texas A&M Aggies before starting her pr ...

and a second-round pick in the

2022 NWSL Draft The 2022 NWSL Draft was the 10th annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on December 18, 2021, and hosted remotely by CBS Sports. Format * All 12 teams of the National ...

in exchange for

Sofia Huerta Sofia Christine Huerta (born December 14, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right back for Lyon of the Première Ligue, on loan from Seattle Reign FC, and the United States national team. Huerta played collegiately ...

and

Amber Brooks Amber Jean Brooks (born January 23, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for USL Super League club Dallas Trinity. She has previously played for Adelaide United, the Houston Dash, OL Reign, the Washington Spi ...

. With the

2020 NWSL season The 2020 National Women's Soccer League season was the eighth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer ( ...

canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Montefusco eventually made her debut in the return to play replacement

2020 NWSL Challenge Cup The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup was a tournament during the 2020 National Women's Soccer League season to mark the league's return to action from the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first professional team sports event to return to play in United States ...

tournament. She played in five games including the

as Houston beat the

2–0 to claim the club's first trophy. Montefusco had missed the semifinal with fractured ribs but despite this, returned to the lineup and played the full 90 minutes in the final. She played every minute of the

2021 NWSL Challenge Cup The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup was a league cup tournament that took place during the 2021 National Women's Soccer League season. It began on April 9 and ended May 8, one week before the start of the regular season. It was the second iteration of th ...

and made a further 21 appearances during the regular season as Houston finished in seventh-place, missing the playoffs by one point.

Orlando Pride, 2022–24

On January 28, 2022,

acquired Montefusco in a trade with Houston along with $30,000 in allocation money and a third-round pick in the

2023 NWSL Draft The 2023 NWSL Draft presented by Ally was the eleventh annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select amateur players above the age of 18 playing in the United States who exhausted, lost, or renounced any remaining ...

in exchange for Marisa Viggiano. Before the beginning of the

2024 NWSL season The 2024 National Women's Soccer League season was the twelfth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer ...

, Montefusco underwent surgery on her right foot and was placed on the season-ending injury list. On November 1, 2024, she announced that she would retire at the end of the season.

International career

Montefusco represented the United States at the under-16, under-18 and under-20 national team levels. She received her first call-up to the United States senior team in March 2017 for a pair of friendlies against Russia. She debuted on April 6 as a 68th-minute substitute for

Kelley O'Hara Kelley Maureen O'Hara (born August 4, 1988) is an American former professional association football, soccer player. She represented the United States women's national soccer team, United States national team on 160 occasions, winning two FIFA ...

in a 4–0 win before appearing again as a substitute in the next game. In total, Montefusco played 58 minutes for the USWNT.

Personal life

Montefusco's mother, Cindy, played softball and volleyball at Northern Illinois University. Her cousin,

Brittany Bock Brittany Christine Bock (born April 11, 1987) is a retired American women's soccer midfielder. Early life Bock was born in Naperville, Illinois and attended Neuqua Valley High School. In 2009, she was enrolled in the Mendoza College of Busin ...

, also played soccer professionally, overlapping NWSL careers in 2015 although the two never appeared in the same game. On December 4, 2021, she married former professional

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

and

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

baseball player Anthony Montefusco in a ceremony at

Old Chicago Main Post Office The Old Chicago Main Post Office is a nine-story-tall office building in Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago. The building was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and built in 1921. The structure of the building was expanded greatly in 1932 ...

. He proposed during a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

flight in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

in August 2020.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

UCLA Bruins *

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

regular season: 2013, 2014 * NCAA Women's College Cup:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Houston Dash *

NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup is an annual supercup competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a division 1 women's league in the United States soccer league system. The current (2025) cup holder is the Washington Spirit, who ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Orlando Pride *

NWSL Championship The NWSL Championship is the annual championship game of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-flight women's soccer league in the United States. It is the culmination of the NWSL playoffs, which is contested by the teams with the ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Individual * Gatorade State Player of the Year (Illinois): 2011 * PFA W-League Team of the Season: 2016–17

References

External links

*
U.S. Soccer player profile
*
Washington Spirit player profile

Boston Breakers player profile

UCLA Bruins player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montefusco, Megan 1992 births Living people Soccer players from Naperville, Illinois Women's association football defenders American women's soccer players United States women's international soccer players Parade High School All-Americans (girls' soccer) Women's Premier Soccer League players National Women's Soccer League players UCLA Bruins women's soccer players Chicago Red Stars players Washington Spirit players Newcastle Jets FC (women) players Boston Breakers players Seattle Reign FC players Houston Dash players Orlando Pride players Washington Spirit draft picks Seattle Reign FC draft picks American expatriate women's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate women's soccer players in Australia United States women's youth international soccer players 21st-century American sportswomen

Early life

Collegiate career

Club career

Chicago Red Stars (WPSL)

Washington Spirit, 2015–16

Newcastle Jets (loans), 2015–17

Boston Breakers, 2017

Reign FC, 2018–19

Houston Dash, 2020–21

Orlando Pride, 2022–24

International career

Personal life

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

See also

References

External links