Jaedyn Shaw Wins 2022 Chipotle Young Female Player of the Year

Thanks to a standout rookie season in the NWSL and a solid run with the USWNT U-20 squad, San Diego Wave midfielder/forward Jaedyn Shaw was announced today as the 2022 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. She joins an elite class of female soccer players to win the award, first awarded in 1998 to current U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone.

“It means everything to me to be a part of the list of players who have won this award, but it also tells me I have so much work to do to keep improving and growing,” said Shaw. “I just feel super honored and blessed and it’s an amazing way to start the year. All of this makes me even more excited to get going with this NWSL season and to get back into camps with the Youth National Teams. I’m just excited for what’s to come and I wouldn’t be where I am today without God’s grace and favor over my life.”

Shaw beat Alyssa Thompson, who debuted this year for the senior USWNT at age 17, by a slight margin, earning 35.1 percent of the overall vote. Thompson was 2nd with 34.4%.

Jaedyn Shaw signed her first professional contract with the Wave on July 18th after training for six months with the Washington Spirit. It only took her 28 minutes in her pro debut on July 30th to score her first goal, becoming the youngest player to score in the NWSL. In her first start, she scored a game-winner against the Chicago Red Stars before joining the USWNT U-20s for the U-20 World Cup.

She finished 2022 with 7 U-20 caps and 3 goals against Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Netherlands. Her goals against Mexico and the Netherlands helped the USA win the Sud Ladies Cup in Aubagne, France. She is age-eligible for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and her star is on the rise as she enters her first complete season with the Wave.

Congratulations to Jaedyn Shaw on her Young Female Player of the Year award!