Kayla Sharples Bio
Kayla Lynne Sharples (born June 17, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). A standout from Illinois, she was drafted by her hometown club Chicago Red Stars in the third round of the 2019 NWSL College Draft and has since built a reputation as a reliable defender. After spending five seasons with Chicago, including loans to Finland and Australia, she joined expansion side Bay FC in 2024 before being traded to the Current later that year.
Early Life and Background
Sharples was born in Naperville, Illinois, and grew up in a community that has produced several professional athletes. She attended Naperville North High School, where she played both basketball and soccer. As a freshman in 2010, she was part of the school’s state championship-winning soccer team, an early sign of the competitive drive that would shape her career.
Outside of high school soccer, Sharples developed her game with Eclipse Select, one of the most respected club programs in the region. She won multiple state championships with the club, sharpening her skills against top youth competition. Her Chicago Red Stars jersey is now displayed outside the Naperville North gym, where it hangs alongside jerseys of other professional athletes who came from the school.
Path to Soccer
Sharples’s path to professional soccer ran through Northwestern University, where she played for the Northwestern Wildcats from 2015 to 2018. She quickly became a central figure on the team, starting all 87 of her collegiate matches and posting a streak of 86 consecutive starts, the second-longest in program history.
Under her leadership, the Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons, marking the first time the program had achieved that level of consistency. Their deepest run came in 2016, when Northwestern advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to third-seeded Duke. That appearance was the program’s best NCAA Tournament showing since 1998 and helped establish Sharples as one of the top defensive prospects in the country.
Kayla Sharples Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Sharples was selected 26th overall in the 2019 NWSL College Draft by the Chicago Red Stars, fulfilling a dream of joining her hometown team. She made her professional debut on June 2, 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 loss away to the Portland Thorns FC. The early months of her career offered limited minutes but valuable exposure to the professional game.
In 2020, Sharples accepted a loan to Finnish club Kuopion Palloseura after consulting with Chicago head coach Rory Dames about playing time during the NWSL Fall Series. She made six appearances and scored one goal, helping KuPS to a third-place finish in the Kansallinen Liiga, the highest league placement in the club’s history. The international experience broadened her tactical understanding of the game.
Chicago Red Stars Tenure (2019–2023)
Sharples spent five seasons with the Chicago Red Stars, growing from a depth player into a reliable defender. She started in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final, where the Red Stars lost the inaugural championship to the Houston Dash. The appearance was a milestone in her young career and showed the coaching staff’s confidence in her ability to perform on big stages.
In December 2021, Sharples was loaned to Australian club Adelaide United for the 2021–22 A-League Women season. After a mandatory quarantine period, she started 11 of 14 regular-season matches and scored one goal in a 3–0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on January 28, 2022. She was part of the squad that led Adelaide to their first Finals appearance in fourteen A-League seasons, although the club fell 1–2 to eventual champion Melbourne Victory. On June 12, 2022, she suffered a season-ending ACL injury against the Orlando Pride, and she made her return on May 31, 2023, in a Challenge Cup match against Racing Louisville FC.
Bay FC Era (2024)
On December 21, 2023, Sharples signed with NWSL expansion side Bay FC as a free agent. She became part of Bay FC’s inaugural starting eleven, lining up for the club’s first-ever regular-season match, a road win over Angel City FC. Her veteran presence helped anchor a brand-new back line during the team’s debut season.
Kansas City Current Era (2024–Present)
Sharples was traded to the Kansas City Current on August 28, 2024, in exchange for goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and $15,000 in allocation money. She debuted for the Current on September 7 in a 1–0 win over the Utah Royals, and her arrival was credited with improving the team’s defensive performance. Kansas City finished fourth in the standings and advanced past the North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals before falling 3–2 to the Orlando Pride in the semifinals.
On April 19, 2025, Sharples scored her first goal for the Current in a 2–0 win over the Houston Dash, capping a dominant defensive display. On July 29, the club announced that she had been re-signed through the 2027 season, with an option for an additional year. Her importance to the team was reflected in the fact that the Current did not play any minutes without her on the field until after clinching the NWSL Shield.
Driving Style and Strengths
Sharples is a 5-foot-11 center back whose height and composure make her a strong presence in aerial duels and one-on-one defending. Her international loans in Finland and Australia gave her tactical versatility, allowing her to adapt to different playing styles. She is known for her calm distribution out of the back and her ability to organize the defensive line under pressure.
Notable Events and Milestones
Sharples started in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final, helped Adelaide United reach their first A-League Finals, and was part of Bay FC’s historic first-ever starting eleven. She is also a 2025 NWSL Best XI First Team selection and a finalist for the 2025 NWSL Defender of the Year award, recognition that places her among the league’s elite defenders.
Kayla Sharples Career Wins
Sharples has yet to capture a major professional trophy, but she has been a central figure on teams that have reached significant milestones. Her career has been defined more by consistent defensive performances and postseason runs than by silverware.
NWSL Highlights
In 2025, Sharples anchored a Kansas City Current defense that won the NWSL Shield and reached the NWSL semifinals, earning her a place on the NWSL Best XI First Team. With the Chicago Red Stars, she started in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final, the first championship match in league history.
Other Wins and Performances
During her loan at KuPS, Sharples helped the Finnish club achieve their highest-ever Kansallinen Liiga finish, a third-place result. With Adelaide United, she was part of the squad that ended a 14-season Finals drought in the A-League Women, marking one of the most notable accomplishments in the club’s recent history.
Kayla Sharples Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Sharples grew up in Naperville, Illinois, in a household that supported her athletic development from a young age. She attended Naperville North High School and later Northwestern University, institutions that helped shape her path to professional soccer. Her family’s connection to the Chicago area also led to her being drafted by the Chicago Red Stars, her hometown club.
Personal Life
Sharples has not publicly disclosed details of her marital status or family life. She continues to reside in the United States and is represented professionally through her social media accounts, where she engages with fans and shares updates about her career.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NWSL season represented the high point of Sharples’s career to date. After joining the Current mid-2024, she quickly became indispensable, anchoring a defense that conceded fewer goals than any other team in the league. Kansas City clinched the NWSL Shield, a regular-season title awarded to the team with the most points, marking one of the strongest campaigns in club history.
Sharples’s individual play earned her national recognition, as she was named a finalist for the 2025 NWSL Defender of the Year award alongside teammate Izzy Rodriguez. Players from the Current made up one-third of all NWSL award nominees, a reflection of the team’s dominance. She was also selected to the 2025 NWSL Best XI First Team, cementing her place among the league’s top center backs.
Head coach of the United States Women’s National Team, Emma Hayes, publicly described the decision not to call up Sharples for a series of October 2025 friendlies as “tough” and stated that the “door is open for Sharples.” With a contract that runs through 2027 and the option for an additional year, Sharples appears to be entering the prime years of her career. Her combination of size, experience, and composure suggests she will remain a cornerstone of the Kansas City Current’s defense for the foreseeable future.