Anna Henderson (soccer)

Anna Henderson
Personal information
Full name Annelise Marie Henderson[1]
Date of birth (2000-01-21) January 21, 2000[2]
Place of birth Kirkland, Washington, U.S.[3]
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[4]
Positions
Youth career
Crossfire Premier
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Louisville Cardinals 18 (0)
2021–2022 UCF Knights 29 (2)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 Mallbackens IF 24 (6)
2024 Santos Laguna 11 (4)
2024–2025 Fort Lauderdale United 8 (1)
2025–2026 Kansas City Current II – (–)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 01:45, July 22, 2026 (UTC)

Annelise Marie Henderson (born January 21, 2000) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. She played college soccer for the Louisville Cardinals and UCF Knights before spending a total of three years professionally with Swedish club Mallbackens IF, Mexican club Santos Laguna, and USL Super League club Fort Lauderdale United FC.

Early life

As a child, Henderson's family moved around frequently before settling in Kirkland, Washington, when Henderson was 10 years old.[2][5] Henderson played club soccer for Crossfire Premier SC, where she helped the team reach one Elite Clubs National League national championship match and one final four finish.[6] In 2016, she scored in Crossfire's ECNL national third-place match that ended as a victory over FC Massachusetts.[7] Henderson also played at Lake Washington High School, where she received one first-team all-conference honor and helped Lake Washington win a conference championship in 2014.[2]

College career

Henderson started her college soccer career with the Louisville Cardinals. She struggled to earn playing time for the Cardinals, playing in 18 matches over three seasons largely as a substitute. The majority of her appearances came in her sophomore year, in which she participated in 11 games and earned the only start of her Louisville career.[2]

Ahead of the 2021 season, Henderson transferred to the University of Central Florida to expend her remaining two years of NCAA eligibility with the Knights.[6] In her first season at UCF, she made 11 appearances (9 starts) and was the team's joint leader in assists, with 5.[4] The following year, she made a career-high 18 appearances and helped contribute to UCF's AAC Conference regular season title.[4][8] She scored her first collegiate goal and played a season-high 73 minutes on September 4, 2022, in a 2–1 loss to Ole Miss.[4][9] On November 3, she scored against Memphis in the Knights' AAC tournament semifinal defeat.[4] Henderson was later named to the 2022 AAC all-tournament team.[10] She capped off her college career with appearances in both of UCF's NCAA tournament matches as the Knights were eliminated in the second round by eventual champions UCLA.[4]

Club career

Mallbackens IF

Henderson chose not to enter into the NWSL Draft, instead opting to start her professional career overseas.[5] In March 2023, she signed her first professional contract with Swedish second-division side Mallbackens IF,[11] a move facilitated in part by her Swedish-based agent.[5] She joined Texas native Hailey Davidson as the only two Americans on the team.[12] In her lone season with Mallbacken, Henderson registered 6 goals and 3 assists as the club finished in ninth place in the Elitettan table.[3]

Santos Laguna

On January 10, 2024, Henderson was announced to have joined Mexican club Santos Laguna.[3][13] She made her Liga MX Femenil debut shortly after, in a match against Mexican powerhouses Tigres UANL.[14] On February 9, 2024, Henderson scored her first two Liga MX goals in a 10–2 defeat to Guadalajara.[15]

Fort Lauderdale United

In June 2024, Henderson was joined Floridian club Fort Lauderdale United FC ahead of the inaugural USL Super League season;[16] the move reunited Henderson with her family, who were located in the Fort Lauderdale area at the time.[5] She made her Super League debut on August 17, 2024, coming on as a second-half substitute for Sh'Nia Gordon in Fort Lauderdale United's inaugural match, a draw with the Spokane Zephyr.[17] On November 10, she scored her first goal for the club, a stoppage-time equalizer against the Tampa Bay Sun that helped Fort Lauderdale salvage a point and end a three-match losing streak.[18] At the end of the season, Henderson was among the contingent of players departing from Fort Lauderdale.[19] She had made 8 appearances for the club,[20] all of which occurred in the first half of the season.[5]

Henderson then joined Kansas City Current II, participating in the pre-professional Women's Premier Soccer League and in The Soccer Tournament 2026.[21] On July 21, 2026, she announced her retirement from professional soccer.[22]

Personal life

Henderson was born into a soccer-focused family, with her brothers, cousins, and uncles all having played the sport.[5] Her father, Chris, is a former United States men's national team player who is currently serving as the sporting director of MLS club Atlanta United FC.[23] Henderson graduated from the University of Central Florida with Magna cum Laude honors.[1]

Honors and awards

UCF Knights

Individual

  • AAC tournament all-tournament team: 2022

References

  1. 1 2 "Fall 2022 Commencement Program" (PDF). University of Central Florida. p. 69. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Anna Henderson". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Anna Henderson llega a las Guerreras tras experiencia en el futbol europeo". Club Santos (in Spanish). January 10, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Anna Henderson". UCF Knights. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Doering, Joshua (January 2, 2025). "My Soccer Story: Anna Henderson". Touchline Talk. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "University of Central Florida adds transfer from Louisville". SoccerWire. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Crossfire Premier ECNL girls U-16 squad finishes third in nation". Redmond Reporter. July 13, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ Vázquez Frayre, Humberto (January 10, 2024). "Llega refuerzo del extranjero para las Guerreras de Santos Laguna Femenil". El Siglo De Durango (in Spanish). Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  9. ↑ Gamarra, Max (September 5, 2022). "UCF women's soccer suffers first loss of the season to No. 13 Ole Miss". The Charge. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Memphis Wins Women's Soccer Championship with 1-0 Overtime Win over SMU". theamerican.org. December 11, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  11. ↑ Adamsson, Mikael (March 14, 2023). "Ännu en amerikanska klar för Mallbacken - tränat med allsvenska lag". NWT (in Swedish). Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  12. ↑ Finnebråth, Fredrik (March 29, 2023). "Mallbackens nya amerikanskor: "Drömt om det här sedan jag var liten"". Fryksdalsbygden (in Swedish). Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  13. ↑ Castrejón, Carlos Hernández (November 1, 2024). "Anna Henderson refuerza el medio campo de Santos Femenil". Grupo Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  14. ↑ Solís, Miguel (January 20, 2024). "Motiva a Anna Henderson llegar a Santos Femenil". OEM (in Spanish). Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Las Guerreras Sufrieron Derrota En Guadalajara". Club Santos (in Spanish). February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  16. ↑ Fort Lauderdale United FC [@ftlutd]; (June 14, 2024). "With Anna Henderson fully on board, we're stronger than ever! 💪⚽ Welcome to the family!". Retrieved February 16, 2026 – via Instagram.
  17. ↑ "Match Center - Spokane Zephyr FC vs Fort Lauderdale United FC". Gainbridge Super League. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Fort Lauderdale United FC Salvages a Dramatic Draw in the Florida Derby". Sports Action Rundown. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Fort Lauderdale United FC Announces Roster Decisions Ahead of 2025/26 Gainbridge Super League Season". Fort Lauderdale United FC. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  20. ↑ Anna Henderson at Soccerway
  21. ↑ "Kansas City II". TST: The Soccer Tournament. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ Henderson, Anna [@annahendy9]; (July 21, 2026). "Saying goodbye to something that has brought me so much joy over the last 22 years hasn't been easy". Retrieved July 21, 2026 – via Instagram.
  23. ↑ "Mallbackens IF fick oväntad "julklapp" från Messi: En signerad matchtröja". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). December 12, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
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