Michelle Cooper is one of the rising stars of U.S. Soccer. A star-studded spell at Duke University culminated in an array of individual awards for the striker, including the illustrious MAC Hermann Trophy, previously won by the likes of Catarina Macario, Crystal Dunn, Christine Sinclair, Christen Press, and many others.
On the international scene, Cooper represented her nation at the Under-20 World Cup, and at the U-20 CONCACAF Championships; her eight goals saw her win both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball as her reputation continued to increase throughout the year.
All that led to Thursday night’s NWSL Draft ahead of the 2023 domestic season, with Cooper all set to be the overall second pick behind 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson, her U.S. youth teammate who skipped college completely to become the youngest draftee in the league’s history with Angel City FC.
“I’m excited,” Cooper said to Our Game Magazine hours before the draft. “Of course, I’m nervous, it’s a big deal, my life is basically about to do a 180 right now, but I’m okay with it and I’m going what happens by the reins. So yeah, I’m excited.”
Cooper was speaking from the draft host city of Philadelphia, where she was with her mum, sister, agent, and she also admitted…
