Delanie Breann Sheehan (born January 13, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward and midfielder for the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the UCLA Bruins and was drafted by NJ/NY Gotham FC in the 2021 NWSL Draft. She won an NWSL Championship with Gotham in 2023.
Sheehan was born in Walnut Creek, California, on January 13, 1999.[1][2] She started playing soccer at age four.[3] She played high school soccer at Liberty High School in Brentwood, California, and graduated in 2017.[4] She also played softball and basketball in high school.[3] She was a Gatorade State Player of the Year finalist, a three-time North Coast Section (NCS) first-team selection, and a two-time Bay Valley Athletic League (BVAL) MVP in 2015 and 2016.[1][4] In her senior year, she scored the tying goal in a 3–2 victory over Carondelet in the 2017 NCS Division I championship match.[5]
Sheehan played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, from 2017 to 2021.[1] As a freshman, she was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and scored the tying goal in a 2–3 loss to Stanford in the 2017 NCAA Division I tournament final.[1][6] In her sophomore year, she switched positions to play as a defender and was named to the All-Pac-12 third team.[1] She was selected as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week in October 2018 and September 2019.[7][8] She began playing as a midfielder again in her senior year and was the team's vice captain.[1][9] Helping UCLA win their first Pac-12 Championship in six years, she was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and was the Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year, a Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and a Senior CLASS Award candidate.[9][10][11] Over four seasons in college, she tallied 15 goals and 18 assists in 86 appearances.[1]
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NJ/NY Gotham FC (then known as Sky Blue FC) selected Sheehan 33rd overall in the fourth round of the 2021 NWSL Draft, which took place online on her 21st birthday.[3][12] She signed a national team replacement (NTR) contract with Gotham in July 2021.[13] She made five appearances for Gotham before she was loaned in September to the Division 1 Féminine club Paris FC for the rest of the year, a move that she said she eagerly accepted for the opportunity to improve her tactical skills.[3][14] She made nine appearances for Gotham in 2022.[3]
Sheehan signed a two-year contract with Gotham in January 2023.[15] That season, she had a regular starting spot in Gotham's lineup, her position varying between forward and attacking midfielder.[3] She scored her first professional goal on October 22, 2023, in the first round of the NWSL playoffs against the North Carolina Courage, notching Gotham's first NWSL postseason goal and helping the team to their first NWSL playoff win.[16][17][18]
Sheehan appeared in all 26 games (25 starts) for Gotham during the 2024 season and played the most minutes of any Gotham player in all competitions.[19]
On December 4, 2024, the Houston Dash announced that they had signed Sheehan through 2026 with a mutual option for 2027.[20]
Sheehan was a member of youth national teams at the under-18, under-19, and under-20 levels.[1] She represented the United States under-20 team at the 2018 Sud Ladies Cup.[21]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Playoffs[b] | Continental[c] | Other[d] | Total | Ref. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2021 | NWSL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | [22] | |||
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | [23] | ||||||
| 2023 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 1 | [24] | |||||
| 2024 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 38 | 5 | [25] | |||
| Total | 59 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 80 | 6 | – | |||
| Paris FC (loan) | 2021–22 | D1F | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | [26] | ||||
| Houston Dash | 2025 | NWSL | 22 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 87 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 108 | 8 | – | |||
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_087_(cropped).jpg "Delanie Sheehan")
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