The Kansas City Current are joining the NWSL’s youth movement.
The first signing of the Vlatko Andonovski era in Kansas City is 15-year-old Alex Pfeiffer, who joined the club on a three-year deal.
“Alex is a tremendous talent we are so excited to bring to the Current,” general manager Camille Ashton said in a news release. “We believe she has the ability to impact this team for many years to come and are thrilled she chose to take this next step in her career to continue her development with us in KC.”
According to The Athletic, the move to Kansas City has been in the works since last summer. Pfeiffer attended a talent identification camp with the Current, and discussions began with agents and her parents about going pro.
The Current kept an eye on Pfeiffer, who also has spent significant time in the U.S. youth national team pool at the U-15, U-16 and U-17 levels. As a member of the U-15 team, she won the 2022 Concacaf Championship.
“There definitely was talk of going to some colleges and even seeing what that environment was like,” Pfeiffer told The Athletic. “But I saw what KC was doing. I feel like that was going to push me even more than going to college for four years.”
At 15 years and 338 days, Pfeiffer is the fourth-youngest player ever signed to an NWSL club. In March, Melanie Barcenas (15 years and 138 days) and Chloe Ricketts (15 years and 283 days) signed with the San Diego Wave and Washington Spirit, respectively. Olivia Moultrie opened the doors for youth players when she signed with the Portland Thorns at 15 years and 286 days old in 2021.
“I am very excited that Alex will be joining our club,” Andonovski said. “This is a great start for our plans to strengthen the pro player pathway for this club and this region. Alex is someone who can be a great example for players everywhere and can help this club achieve our goals, both near and long-term.”
Young phenom ready for the big stage 👏⁰⁰@AlexPfeiff17 | #KCBABY pic.twitter.com/DFQSpRm9Pa
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) October 30, 2023