Sells Like Teen Spirit: NWSL Signs Second 15-Year-Old, Now Youngest Ever In League

By Barry Janoff

Photo: SpiritPhoto: WaveUPDATED March 21, 2023: NWSL club San Diego Wave FC today signed local talent Melanie Barcenas to a three-year contract through the 2025 season. Barcenas is now officially the youngest-ever contracted NWSL player at 15 years and 138 days.
 
The San Diegan also becomes the first youth local player to be signed in NWSL history, as well as the first to join the Wave through the league’s new Under-18 Entry Mechanism.

The previous record was held by 15-year-old Chloe Ricketts with the Washington Spirit who signed a three-year deal with the D.C. club earlier this month when she was 15 years and 283 days.

While in high school, Barcenas signed a NIL deal with Nike.

"I'm very excited to sign my first professional contract with my hometown team, San Diego Wave," said Barcenas via the Wave. "It's been a dream of mine to not just play in the NWSL but to have the opportunity to represent this city.”

March 3, 2023: Calling It a move that would “help us succeed now while also investing in the future,” the NWSL Washington Spirit have signed midfielder Chloe Ricketts from Dexter, Mich., to a three-year contract with an option for 2026 through the league’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism.

At 15 years, 283 days old when she signed on March 2, NWSL said Ricketts, a high school sophomore, officially became the youngest signed NWSL player in league history, passing Portland Thorns FC’s Olivia Moultrie.

Moultrie, signed her first NWSL pro contract at 15 years, 286 days old on June 30, 2021.

Under the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism, Ricketts will occupy a full roster spot, will reside with a parent or legal guardian until she turns 18 years of age, may not be traded or waived before age 18 without both her and her parent/legal guardian’s consent and may not be selected in expansion drafts.

“This season, we remain very focused on building a roster that can help us succeed now while also investing in the future,” Spirit head coach Mark Parsons said via the club, which won the league championship in 2021.

“Chloe has shown great quality with and without the ball and has an incredible intensity in everything she does. The vision and infrastructure of our club make this signing possible, and we are look forward to Chloe developing and becoming an important player and teammate for our team.”

Being a young star is not new for Ricketts.

She competed for AFC Ann Arbor in 2022 after becoming the youngest player in the youth club’s history at 14.

In 2021, Ricketts played with the 2007 Boys Ann Arbor Tigers that won the Michigan State Cup and the National League Great Lakes Conference, as well as the 2006 Girls team that advanced to the Elite Clubs National League finals.

Ricketts joined the Spirit for pre-season training camp in January after being invited as part of a group of non-roster players, traveling with the team to Florida as well as training in Leesburg, VA.

According to the Spirit, Rickets “impressed in training with her competitive drive and ability to compete with players at the professional level.”

“The opportunity to join the Washington Spirit on a professional contract is a dream come true,” Ricketts said via the club.

“I’m looking forward to continuing my development as a player and individual with the great resources here in the District. Having the chance to work with Dawn Scott (Performance, Medical and Innovation) and head coach Mark Parsons as I begin my professional career is exciting, and I can’t wait to do my part in contributing to the club’s success . . . Now, let’s go win another championship!”

The moves puts a positive spin on what has been a challenging time for the Washington Spirit.

The club has been at the center of NWSL and USSF investigations across the league regarding player allegations about physical, verbal and emotional abuse.

In late 2021, the NWSL conducted an investigation following allegations that then-head coach Richie Burke “violated the league's anti-harassment policy.” The league said, “Washington Spirit's head coach has been terminated for cause."

The Spirit changed ownership in March 2022 when local business leader Michele Kang acquired the interests of other team owners Bill Lynch and Steve Baldwin, with Kang becoming controlling owner.

Kris Ward, who replaced Burke, was released as Spirit’s head coach in August 2022, and in January was “declared ineligible to work in the league in any capacity unless or until approved by the commissioner.”

According to the NWSL, in August 2022, Spirit leadership reported to the NWSL that “players had raised concerns about verbal abuse and emotional misconduct during a training session involving (then) head coach Kris Ward and a player.”

A third-party attorney hired by the league to investigate “found these allegations were substantiated. Ward was found to have engaged in overly aggressive behavior and harassment through negative racial stereotyping towards a player in violation of league policy.”

The team’s 2023 home opener is March 26 in Audi Field against OL Reign.

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