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National Women's Soccer League defender and US national team member From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christina Jo Frimpong Ellertson (née Frimpong; born May 20, 1982) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who played as a defender for the United States women's national soccer team.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christina Jo Frimpong Ellertson | ||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Christina Jo Frimpong[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | May 20, 1982 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vancouver, Washington, United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender, striker | ||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Washington Huskies | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Seattle Sounders Women | 8 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Saint Louis Athletica | 26 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Atlanta Beat | 16 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011 | magicJack | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Portland Thorns FC | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | United States U-21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | United States | 34 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2018 | King's Way Christian HS | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Portland Thorns FC U-17 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Washington Huskies (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Frimpong Ellertson was born and grew up in Vancouver, Washington. The daughter of Eka, a Nigerian mother and Joe, a Ghanaian father who migrated to the United States,[2] Frimpong Ellertson played soccer throughout her childhood.[3]
Frimpong Ellertson originally signed to attend Santa Clara Broncos, but instead went to Washington Huskies closer to home after giving birth to her first daughter, MacKenzie, at age 18.[citation needed]
As a striker for the Huskies, Frimpong Ellertson was one of the best players in school history. She was twice named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, led the team to its first ever Elite Eight, and remains its all-time leading scorer. Frimpong Ellertson was inducted into the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Fame in 2022.[4]
On September 16, 2008, Frimpong Ellertson was one of the three players drafted for Saint Louis Athletica in the Women's Professional Soccer allocation of national team members, with the new league starting in April 2009. Frimpong Ellertson was a consistently solid presence in the Athletica back line, logging 1748 minutes for the season, the most on the team. She played as team captain whenever Lori Chalupny was not on the field, made the All-Star team and was nominated for WPS's Defender of the Year award.
When Saint Louis folded in May 2010, Frimpong Ellertson moved to Atlanta Beat alongside teammates Hope Solo and Eniola Aluko.[5] After 16 games and two goals for the Beat, Frimpong Ellertson left by mutual consent in February 2011.[6] She moved to a new franchise, magicJack, and quickly became a cornerstone of the team's defense, producing notable performances against Marta and Kelly Smith.[7]
Frimpong Ellertson has also played previously for the Seattle Sounders of the W-League.
In February 2013, Frimpong Ellertson was chosen in the first round of the National Women's Soccer League's supplemental draft by Portland Thorns FC, despite having stated that she would not be playing in the league.[8] Nevertheless, she ultimately joined the Thorns a few months later, on July 31, after being repeatedly approached by Coach Cindy Parlow Cone.[9] Frimpong Ellertson made five appearances for the Thorns, including an appearance as a substitute during the team's victory in the inaugural NWSL Championship match.
In February 2014, Frimpong Ellertson announced that she was retiring from the Thorns to focus on coaching and her family.[10]
After April Heinrichs's reign as coach, Frimpong Ellertson tried out for the women's national soccer team, and earned her first cap against Ukraine on July 10, 2005. New coach Greg Ryan moved her to defender. She was named to the U.S. roster for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and competed against Nigeria during group stage,[11] against Brazil in the infamous semi-final in which Hope Solo was benched in favor of more experienced Briana Scurry,[12] and against Norway in a 4–1 win in the third-place playoff match.[13]
On December 13, 2008, at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, Frimpong Ellertson scored her only international goal against China in her final USWNT game, and in her only start at forward; a 1–0 game winner.[14]
Frimpong Ellertson began coaching while she was still playing.[15] She was most recently an assistant coach at her alma mater Washington Huskies from 2020 to 2023.[16]
Frimpong Ellertson married Brad Ellertson, with whom she had two daughters,[17] MacKenzie (born 2000) and Mya (born 2008), and a son Mason (born 2015). Before her marriage, she played under her maiden name, Frimpong. Her twin sister, Crystal Frimpong, played soccer at the University of Florida.[citation needed]
Frimpong Ellertson's eldest daughter, MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson, plays at the University of Portland.
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs[a] | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portland Thorns FC | 2013 | NWSL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career total | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2005 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 34 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 13, 2008 | Carson, California |  China |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [14] |
Portland Thorns FC
Individual
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