Mckenna Whitham

Mckenna "Mak" Whitham (born July 27, 2010) is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for the United States girls' national under-15 team. She is the youngest person to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike. She began training with NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2024.

Early life
Whitham grew up homeschooled in San Francisco, California. She played club soccer for MVLA Soccer Club and then Slammers FC HB Køge of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). She led MVLA to the under-13 national final in July 2023, where they finished runners-up to the Slammers. She signed a name, image, and likeness contract with Nike in February 2024 at age 13, becoming the youngest athlete in any sport to sign with the company.

Club career
Whitham was announced as a non-roster invitee for Gotham FC in the preseason on February 13, 2024. She had also trained with the Kansas City Current, the Washington Spirit and MLS Next's Los Angeles FC academy team; she signed with the semi-professional club Santa Clarita Blue Heat of United Women's Soccer (UWS) the previous month. She scored a last-minute game winner for Gotham against Deportivo Cali in a preseason tournament in Colombia on February 28, 2024, becoming the youngest person to play or score for an NWSL team. She continued training with Gotham during the 2024 season but did not publicly sign a contract with the team. Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West said Whitham "is clearly very ready, not just to handle this level, but to excel in our sessions". If she signs with Gotham, the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism requires that the contract last through 2028.

International career
After trying out for the national under-14 team in February 2023, Whitham was called up to the national under-15 team in October 2023.