Brianna Pinto Bio
Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto (born May 24, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Chicago Stars FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Raised in Durham, North Carolina, Pinto played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where she earned first-team All-American honors twice. She was drafted third overall by NJ/NY Gotham FC in the 2021 NWSL Draft before being traded to the North Carolina Courage later that year, where she spent four seasons and won two NWSL Challenge Cups.
At the international level, Pinto has represented the United States at multiple youth World Cups and received a senior call-up at age 16. She was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year in 2019. Off the field, Pinto has also been active in player advocacy and sports broadcasting.
Early Life and Background
Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and grew up in Durham, North Carolina. Both of her parents attended the University of North Carolina in the early 1990s. Her father, Hassan, played for the North Carolina men’s soccer team, while her mother, Meleata, played softball for the university. Pinto’s older brother, Hassan Jr., played soccer in the USL Championship, and her younger brother, Malik, plays professionally in Major League Soccer, giving the family a deep sporting lineage.
At the age of nine, her father placed her on a boys’ team at Triangle Futbol Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hassan contacted former North Carolina women’s players Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, and Cindy Parlow, who encouraged him by sharing that they themselves developed by competing against boys from an early age. Pinto credited that environment with sharpening her technical and physical game.
At 13, Pinto joined Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) ECNL in Raleigh, where she played from 2014 to 2017. She then moved to NTH Tophat in Atlanta for the 2018 season, continuing her development as one of the country’s top midfield prospects.
Path to Soccer
Anson Dorrance, the longtime head coach of the University of North Carolina women’s soccer program and the man who had recruited her father, began pursuing Pinto when she was in eighth grade. She accepted the program’s offer while still in ninth grade, signaling her commitment to the Tar Heels years before she would step on campus.
Pinto joined the U.S. youth national team setup at age 12 when she was invited to the Under-14 talent identification camp. She went on to play for the United States U-17 team at the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the U.S. U-20 team at the 2018 FIFA U-20 World Cup, appearing in every match at both tournaments despite being two years younger than the cutoff age for the latter event. In January 2017, at 16, she received her first senior national team call-up, becoming the youngest player named to the squad for the 2017 SheBelieves Cup.
Brianna Pinto Career
Early Career (2018–2021)
Pinto made her college debut in August 2018 and scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win against Ohio State, a result that marked the 1,000th career victory for head coach Anson Dorrance. The performance announced her arrival as a Tar Heel.
During her time at North Carolina, she was a First-Team All-ACC selection in each of her three seasons and earned First-Team All-American honors from United Soccer Coaches in both 2019 and 2020. In 2019, she helped the Tar Heels reach the College Cup Final. In the COVID-extended 2020 season, she helped North Carolina reach the NCAA Tournament semifinal and was one of three women’s finalists for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate soccer player of the year.
North Carolina Courage Breakthrough (2022–2025)
Pinto was traded to the North Carolina Courage on December 6, 2021, beginning a four-year run with her home-state club. She scored her first professional goal on March 19, 2022, in an NWSL Challenge Cup match against NJ/NY Gotham FC, and her first regular-season goal on May 18, 2022, against the Orlando Pride. She played 22 regular-season matches that year, starting 17, as the Courage finished seventh.
In 2023, Pinto scored a stoppage-time winner against the Kansas City Current in the Challenge Cup semifinals and helped the Courage beat Racing Louisville 2–0 in the final to claim the trophy. She added a third Challenge Cup title in 2024, when she opened the season by drawing and converting key chances as the team’s starting striker following an ACL injury to NWSL MVP Kerolin. On September 1, 2024, she scored a stoppage-time 2–1 winner against Kansas City, extending the Courage’s home unbeaten run to 18 regular-season matches. A knee injury against the Chicago Red Stars on September 29, 2024, ended her season.
In 2025, Pinto scored the 2–1 stoppage-time winner against Angel City on June 14, becoming the first NWSL player to score three second-half stoppage-time winning goals across all competitions. She played 19 games that year, starting six and scoring three goals, as the Courage placed ninth and missed the playoffs.
Chicago Stars Era (2026–Present)
On December 1, 2025, Chicago Stars FC announced the signing of Pinto as a free agent to a two-year contract running through 2028. The move reunited her with a rebrand of the former Chicago Red Stars, the club where she suffered her 2024 knee injury.
Pinto joined the Stars after four seasons and two NWSL Challenge Cup titles with the Courage. Her arrival added a proven two-time All-American and veteran midfielder to a Chicago roster rebuilding for the coming campaign.
Driving Style and Strengths
Pinto is widely regarded as a composed central midfielder with a strong passing range and an eye for late-arriving runs into the box. Her experience playing on boys’ teams through her early teens sharpened her physical and tactical toughness, traits that have carried into her professional career as both a creator and a clutch finisher.
Notable Events and Milestones
Pinto became the first NWSL player to score three second-half stoppage-time winning goals across all competitions after her June 14, 2025 winner against Angel City. Earlier milestones included scoring the opening goal in Anson Dorrance’s 1,000th career victory and earning a senior national team call-up at 16 years old.
Brianna Pinto Career Wins
Pinto has built a résumé highlighted by two NWSL Challenge Cup titles with the North Carolina Courage and two first-team All-American selections at the University of North Carolina. Her clutch finishes in stoppage time have become a defining feature of her professional career.
NWSL Challenge Cup Highlights
Pinto won her first NWSL Challenge Cup with the Courage in 2023, scoring the stoppage-time semifinal winner against Kansas City before helping lift the trophy in a 2–0 final victory over Racing Louisville. She added a second Challenge Cup title during the 2024 season, cementing her reputation for delivering in decisive moments.
Other Wins & Performances
At the college level, Pinto helped North Carolina reach the 2019 College Cup Final and the 2020 NCAA Tournament semifinal, earning First-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC honors in three straight seasons. On the international stage, she played every match at both the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2018 FIFA U-20 World Cup for the United States.
Brianna Pinto Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
Pinto comes from a deeply athletic family rooted in the University of North Carolina. Her father, Hassan, played for the UNC men’s soccer team, and her mother, Meleata, played softball for the university. Her older brother, Hassan Jr., played in the USL Championship, and her younger brother, Malik, plays in Major League Soccer.
Personal Life
In 2018, Pinto joined Alphonso Davies and Diego Lainez in speaking before the 68th FIFA Congress to support North America’s bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In October 2020, she won a seat on the U.S. Soccer Federation’s 20-person Athlete Council as part of the Next Gen United slate aimed at diversifying federation leadership. In July 2024, she was one of five active NWSL players representing the NWSL Players Association in final negotiations that produced a new collective bargaining agreement running through 2030. While with the Courage, Pinto also began her broadcasting career as an analyst for college soccer games on ACC Network Extra.
2025 Season Performance
Pinto’s 2025 campaign with the North Carolina Courage was defined by another signature stoppage-time moment. On June 14, she scored the 2–1 winner against Angel City FC, a strike that made her the first NWSL player to record three second-half stoppage-time winning goals across all competitions. The finish reinforced her growing reputation as one of the league’s most reliable late-game performers.
Across the season, Pinto appeared in 19 matches, started six, and scored three goals. The Courage finished ninth in the standings and missed the postseason, a difficult outcome given the team’s deeper ambitions at the start of the year.
Following the season, Chicago Stars FC announced the signing of Pinto as a free agent on December 1, 2025, on a two-year contract. The move gave her a fresh start with a rebrand of her former opposition, and positioned her as a central figure in the Stars’ build for 2026.