Kennedy Fuller: The teenage USWNT prospect who idolized Carli Lloyd, trained with Emma Hayes' Chelsea and is making a name for herself at Angel City

Raised in Southlake, Texas, Fuller "fell in love" with soccer during the 2015 Women's World Cup, as she watched the likes of Morgan, Press and Carli Lloyd - her idol - lift the United States women's national team's third title. "I thought they were the coolest people on the entire planet," she told The Athletic, reflecting on how she got into the game.

A star for Southlake Carroll High School, and making a name for herself in the U.S. youth national teams, Fuller won the prestigious 2023 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award and committed to the University of North Carolina when she was 15 years old - but her plans soon changed. Able to complete high school in just two-and-a-half years "opened up a lot of doors" when it came to the professional game, with opportunities to train with clubs in the NWSL, and even abroad, emerging.

In the fall of 2023 - around the same time she signed a name, image and likeness deal with Nike - Fuller spent time with Washington Spirit, Kansas City Current, San Diego Wave, North Carolina Courage and Chelsea, then coached by Emma Hayes. She soon realized that she was good enough for these environments and, as such, chose a path that didn't involve college.

It was with Angel City that Fuller decided to start her pro career, signing a contract just a few days before her 17th birthday, in March 2024. It made her the second-youngest player to put pen to paper with the Los Angeles side, after South Korea international Casey Phair. "I chose Angel City because the culture and the environment that the team creates is very welcoming and warm," she explained. "There’s not a big gap between the older players and the younger ones. It's very cohesive and they work really well together. It's just a fun environment."

Going into her first NWSL season off the back of a Golden Boot-winning U17 CONCACAF Championship, Fuller started 10 of her 19 league appearances in her rookie year, bagged her first senior goal in a 3-2 win over Racing Louisville in June and closed out a big 2024 with the U17 Women's World Cup, where she scored four goals and provided three assists in six games as the U.S. took third place.

Now, Fuller is only building on that with an even bigger 2025. She's gone to new levels with Angel City, starting all 10 league games so far this year, contributing one goal and three assists in those outings, as well as moving up into the U20 national team for the first time.

Having spent her first year in the NWSL settling into a new environment and a new challenge that involves getting to know new people, as well as just playing pro soccer for the first time, her increased confidence and comfort is paying dividends now, leading to her becoming a more central figure at Angel City. Consistency of playing time has helped, too, as has the ability to understand not to get too high or get too low. After all, 2024 wasn't easy for the club, as it finished 12th in a 14-team league, resulting in Becki Tweed's departure as head coach in December.

"For me, it was more of a mental battle," Fuller told The Athletic. "The biggest thing I took from last year is I couldn't let my team-mates, my coaches, the circumstance, the experience, any of that, mess up my confidence, because, at the end of the day, I should be the only one that's able to dictate my confidence. That's something that I struggled with last year."

There's a lot to like about Fuller's game, especially when she is full of confidence - as she is this year. A creative attacking midfielder who can use both feet brilliantly and has an eye for goal, it's her ability to drive at defenders that really stands out when you watch her. Indeed, it's something the 18-year-old describes as one of her "biggest strengths" as well as something that "will open things up and make it an easier decision for me" when she is looking to make something happen in the final third.

More positives come from the mental side of things. Fuller's understanding of the game - and that bamboozling ambidexterity - allows her to play out wide if needed, while her "committed" attitude has been praised by Sam Laity, Angel City's interim coach for the first half of the 2025 season. Then there is the increased maturity and seniority with which she speaks of, making it no surprise that she has been a captain within the youth national teams.

One noted, and ongoing, improvement in Fuller's game this season has been off the ball, with Laity praising the teenager for her hard work in adding "a different edge to her game" defensively. "That's very positive," he explained. "To play in that area of the field, you've got to be dynamic and you've got to do the work for the team on both sides of the ball. Kennedy's doing that for the group and doing that very well."

Given her age, she can understandably improve with her final product and also her physicality, both of which should come with time and experience, if she continues to display the great work ethic seen to date.

It's hard to pick a perfect comparison for Fuller, probably because she is someone who likes to watch so many different players on both the men's and women's side. A self-proclaimed Eden Hazard fan growing up, Manchester City games have become a must-watch in recent times because of the talents of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden. Ask Fuller who inspired her to strive to be a World Cup winner, though, and she'll mention Lloyd.

When the 18-year-old picks up the ball and runs at defenders, and when she gets a sight of goal and opts to get a shot off early, there are also shades of Fran Kirby, the Chelsea and England icon, about her. Kirby has that strong work ethic and desire to press that Fuller possesses, too, and the fluidity to be a threat in both central and wide areas. But that is only a tentative comparison, especially given the variation in their physical profiles.

An exciting few months are ahead for Fuller. She has started the NWSL season so well with Angel City and how that continues will be intriguing, as the club is finally set to welcome a new permanent head coach on June 1 when former Bayern Munich boss Alexander Straus takes the reins.

Before she gets to work with him, though, Fuller has the U20 CONCACAF Championship to contend with. The U.S. is in a group with Costa Rica, Guyana and Puerto Rico for the tournament that began on May 29 and concludes on June 8. Fuller has already taken the U17 edition of this event by storm and, given her form, one wouldn't bet against her doing the same a level up.

Given Hayes' focus on youth since taking charge of the USWNT, and the fact she knows of the teenager from her opportunity to train with Chelsea, the coach will surely have Fuller on her radar. That's especially the case after such a great 2025 to date. Keep this up, and the creative midfielder is only going to continue climbing the national team ladder and increase her chances of fulfilling her lifelong dreams.