Danesha Adams

Danesha Adams
Personal information
Full nameDanesha Lavonne Adams
Date of birthJune 6, 1986
Place of birthBellflower, California, United States
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing positionForward/Midfielder
Club information
Current team
Washington Spirit
Number99
Youth career
2004–2007UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2007Cleveland Internationals Women5(10)
2008Pali Blues11(6)
2009Chicago Red Stars12(0)
2010–2011Philadelphia Independence27(4)
2011Medkila7(4)
2012–2013Vittsjö11(7)
2013Sky Blue FC20(3)
2013Ataşehir Belediyespor7(8)
2014Washington Spirit13(1)
2015–Portland Thorns FC0(0)
National team‡
United States U-20
United States U-21
2006–United States1(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:30, May 19, 2013 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 08:52, November 8, 2009 (UTC)

Danesha Adams, full name Danesha Lavonne Adams (born June 6, 1986) is an American soccer forward and midfielder in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for Portland Thorns FC.[1]

Early life

Born in Bellflower, California to LaVonne and Lawrence Adams, Danesha attended Walnut High School in Walnut, California for one year, earning Rookie of the Year honors and playing on the Region-IV Olympic Development Program (ODP) Team. After moving to Ohio with her family, Adams finished her high school career at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio where she would set the school's single-season record for goals and assists

Adams played club soccer for the FC Slammers and helped the team to two state championships. She was named MVP of the Under-19 Super Group at the 2003 Surf Cup after leading her team to the title and helped her team capture the Frosted Flakes Kellogg's Cup in 2000, earning a picture on a Kellogg's cereal box. Adams was a Third-Team All-Ohio selection.

Playing career

She has played for Cleveland Internationals, Pali Blues in the W-League, Chicago Red Stars and Philadelphia Independence in the WPS, Medkila IL in Norway's Toppserien, Vittsjö GIK in Sweden's Damallsvenskan,[2] and Turkey's Women's First Football League for Ataşehir Belediyespor.[3]

Collegiate

Adams attended UCLA where she played four years for the Bruins. As a freshman, she played in all 25 games, starting 23. She ended the season ranked second on the team and fourth in the Pac-10 Conference in scoring with 28 points (12 goals and 4 assists). She also ranked first on the team with five game-winning goals. Adams scored four goals during the NCAA Tournament, including game winners over Duke in the third round and Princeton during the semifinal. She was named a Soccer America and Soccer Buzz Freshman All-American. Other season honors included: Pac-10 Player of the Week, 2004 NCAA All-Tournament Team, and Soccer America's Team of the Week.

As a sophomore, she started all 26 matches and led the Pac-10 in scoring with 46 points on 21 goals and four assists, setting a new single-season school record with nine game-winning goals. Adams was named to the NSCAA/adidas second-team All-American and was a member of Soccer America's Collegiate MVP Team. She was also named First-team Soccer Buzz All-American, First-team All-Pac-10, and was a member of the all-tournament team at the NCAA College Cup. During the NCAA Tournament, she scored a record four goals in the Bruins' 5-0 victory over Virginia during the NCAA Quarterfinals and tallied a total of six goals during UCLA's run to the NCAA Final. During her junior year, Adams played and started 19 matches. She missed the first four matches of the year while competing at the FIFA Under-20 World Championships in Russia and later missed two more matches while competing with the full U.S. Women's National Team. Adams earned third-team NSCAA/adidas All-America honors, was a Soccer Buzz second-team All-American and First-team All-Pac-10 selection. She ranked second on the team in scoring with 28 points on twelve goals and four assists. She also ranked second in game-winning goals with seven. Adams was named Soccer America's National Player of the Week after scoring three goals in victories over number three-ranked Texas A&M and number eleven UConn.[4]

International

As a junior international, Adams took part in the 2006 U-20 World Championship, where she was the United States's top scorer with three goals and was included in the competition's all-star team.[5] She made her first and only appearance for the United States women's national soccer team one month later in a friendly match against Chinese Taipei, providing an assist for Megan Rapinoe at the 82nd minute.[6]

International career statistics

Country Team Year Apps Starts Minutes Goals Assists
United States United States U-20 2006 4 2 250 3
WNT 2006 1 0 16 0 1

Club

Women's Professional Soccer

Adams signed with the Chicago Red Stars for the 2009 WPS season. She made 12 appearances for the club, making two starts.[7]

Adams signed with the Philadelphia Independence for the 2010 season. Her goal in the 103rd minute of the WPS Super Semifinal gave the Independence a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Breakers leading the team to the 2010 WPS Championship.[8][9]

National Women's Soccer League

In 2013, Adams signed with Sky Blue FC for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[10][11][12][13]

On November 1, 2013 she signed for the Turkish team Ataşehir Belediyespor in Istanbul.[3] She capped in all the seven matches of the Women's First League's first half season, and scored eight goals.[3]

On January 10, 2014, the Houston Dash selected Adams with the ninth pick in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft.[14] Just a few days later, on January 13, 2014, the Houston Dash traded Adams to the Washington Spirit for Stephanie Ochs.[15] On September 12 Washington Spirit waived Adams.[16]

On September 15, 2014, Adams was selected by Portland Thorns FC, from among players waived by NWSL clubs, for the 2015 season.[1][17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Thorns FC claim forward Danesha Adams off NWSL Waiver Wire". PortlandThornsFC.com. Portland Thorns FC Communications. 15 September 2014.
  2. ↑ http://au.eurosport.com/football/danesha-adams_prs292204/person.shtml
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Futbolcular - Danesha Lavonne Adams" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  4. ↑ "Danesha Adams player profile". UCLA. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Overview TSG explain Russia 2006 All-Star team". FIFA.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Women Defeat Chinese Taipei, 10–0, Behind Wambach's Hat-trick". U.S.Soccer.
  7. ↑ "Danesha Adams providing spark for Independence". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Adams' OT goal lifts Independence into WPS Championship". Women's Professional Soccer. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "WPS Player of Week Danesha Adams Provides Assistance in 2-2 Tie vs Beat". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sky Blue FC sign Bock, De Vanna, Adams, Makoski". Equalizer Soccer. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sky Blue FC Victorious in NWSL Debut". Sky Blue FC. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  12. ↑ http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4702424
  13. ↑ http://www.nwslnews.com/sky-blue-announces-free-agent-signings/
  14. ↑ "Houston Dash select 10 players in 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft". Houston Dash Communications. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Houston Dash acquire forward Stephaine Ochs from Washington Spirit; Dash send Danesha Adams to Washington for second-year forward". Houston Dash Communications. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "NWSL CLUBS WAIVE 12 PLAYERS ON FRIDAY". NWSL.
  17. ↑ "FOUR PLAYERS SELECTED OFF NWSL WAIVER WIRE; Souza, Adams, Lohman and Williams all selected by new teams". NWSL. September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2015.

External links