Cari Roccaro

Cari Roccaro
Roccaro with the Chicago Red Stars in 2024
Personal information
Full name Cari Elizabeth Roccaro[1]
Date of birth (1994-07-18) July 18, 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth East Islip, New York, United States
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Chicago Red Stars
Number 4
Youth career
Albertson Fury[2][3]
2010–2012[4] Long Island Fury[3]
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 75 (13)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012 New York Fury 1 (0)
2016–2017 Houston Dash 33 (0)
2018–2021 North Carolina Courage 41 (0)
2022 Angel City 21 (4)
2023– Chicago Red Stars 12 (1)
International career‡
United States U15
United States U17
United States U18
2012–2014 United States U20 14 (1)
2015 United States U23
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 22, 2018
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 18, 2012

Cari Elizabeth Onwualu (née Roccaro; born July 18, 1994) is an American professional soccer midfielder for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for the Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, and Angel City FC in the NWSL.

Raised in East Islip, New York, Roccaro played for the Long Island Fury and New York Fury while in high school. She represented the United States at youth international level, helping win the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Tokyo. She played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before being drafted by the Dash in 2016. During her stint with the Courage, the team won consecutive NWSL Shields and Championships in 2018 and 2019.

Early life

[edit]

Roccaro attended East Islip High School in Islip Terrace, New York, where she played for the Redmen. During her senior year, she scored 11 goals with an 11–3–1 record. She was named a First Team ESPNHS All-American, a two-time All-American selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was Long Island Player of the Year.[5][6][7]

Roccaro led the Redmen as team captain as a sophomore, junior, and senior. She was named All-League, All-Conference, and All-County as a freshman, junior, and senior and Team MVP as a freshman and senior. A highly decorated player, she was named NSCAA All-American as a junior and senior and Parade All-American as a junior. She was also named New York Gatorade Player of the Year, Long Island Player of the Year, and New York State Player of the Year as a senior.[2]

Roccaro played for local club team, Albertson Fury and was a member of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region I Team from 2007 to 2010 as well as the Eastern New York state Olympic Development Program (ODP) squad from 2005 to 2010.[8]

New York Fury

[edit]

While still in high school, Roccaro played for Long Island Fury in Women's Premier Soccer League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States. She joined the club New York Fury, in the new WPSL Elite which was created after the folding of Women's Professional Soccer in early 2012.[4][9]

University of Notre Dame

[edit]

Roccaro attended the University of Notre Dame where she played as a defender for the Fighting Irish.[6] In January 2013, she was named Soccer America's Women's Freshman of the Year after leading Notre Dame to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament.[10] She was also named Big East Conference Rookie of the Year[11]

Club career

[edit]

Houston Dash, 2016–2017

[edit]

Roccaro was selected by the Houston Dash with the 5th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Over two seasons with the Dash, she made 33 appearances.[12] On March 19, 2018, she was waived by the club.[13]

North Carolina Courage, 2018–2021

[edit]

She signed with North Carolina Courage on April 12, 2018.[14] She made two appearances for the club during the 2018 season. North Carolina won the 2018 NWSL Shield & NWSL Championship.[15]

Angel City, 2022

[edit]

In December 2021, the North Carolina Courage traded Roccaro's rights to Los Angeles-based Angel City Football Club (ACFC) in exchange for roster protection in the 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft.[16] In January, 2022, ACFC announced that Rocarro had been signed to a two-year contract.[17] Roccaro had four goals and one assist during the 2022 season.

Chicago Red Stars, 2023-Present

[edit]

On January 24, 2023, Angel City traded Roccaro to the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for $65,000 in allocation money.[18][19]

International career

[edit]
2012 FIFA Under-20 World Cup awards ceremony.

Roccaro has represented the United States as a member of the U-15, U-17, U-18 and U-20 national youth teams.[2] In March 2010, she scored her first international goal in a qualifier match against Haiti during the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[4] She also played and scored goals for the US during the 2010 CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Championship and 2012 CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championship.

Roccaro was a member of the United States U-20 squad, which won the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan.[20] She played two matches in the group stage; and played in all three matches in the knock-out stage.[20][21]

Roccaro captained the United States under-20 women's national soccer team that competed at 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada. She played all 360 minutes of the four matches played by the team, which was eliminated in the quarter-final.[20]

Honors

[edit]

International

[edit]
  • CONCACAF U20 Women's Championship: 2012, 2014
  • FIFA U20 Women's World Cup: 2012[22]

Club

[edit]

North Carolina Courage

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 – List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. August 8, 2016. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Cari Roccaro". US Soccer. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "New York Fury club roster". New York Fury. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c "New York Fury Add Lenczyk, Roccaro and Yokers to WPSL Elite League Roster". Soccer Nation. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  5. ^ "New York Girls Soccer POY: Cari Roccaro". ESPN. February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Cari Rocarro". New York Fury. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  7. ^ "Cari Roccaro, prized for her versatility". Soccer America. March 2, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  8. ^ "Cari Roccaro player profile". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  9. ^ "NY Fury signs Lenczyk, Roccaro, Yokers". Big Apple Soccer. Archived from the original on December 4, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  10. ^ "Notre Dame's Roccaro is Women's Freshman of the Year". Soccer America. January 15, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  11. ^ "Big East Honors: Roccaro named Rookie of the Year". Big Apple Soccer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  12. ^ Roepken, Corey (April 20, 2017). "Dash's Cari Roccaro embraces role as versatile contributor". Chron.
  13. ^ "Houston Dash Release 2018 Roster". March 19, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "NC Courage Welcome Defender Cari Roccaro to 2018 Roster, Sign Midfielder Sarah Teegarden as National Team Replacement Player". North Carolina Courage. April 12, 2018. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Courage cap off record-setting season with NWSL Championship win". September 21, 2018. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "North Carolina Courage Announce Preseason Roster". NC Courage. March 2, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Angel City Football Club Officially signs Mccaskill, Roccaro, Lussi, Isenhour". Angel City. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Angel City Trades Midfielder Cari Roccaro to Chicago". Angel City. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "Chicago Red Stars Acquire Cari Roccaro From Angel City FC". Chicago Red Stars. January 25, 2023. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c "FIFA Player Statistics: Cari ROCCARO". FIFA. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012.
  21. ^ Randy Vogt (September 19, 2012). "LIJSL Alumni Crystal Dunn and Cari Roccaro help win USWNT U-20 World Cup". Soccer Long Island Magazine. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
    - "U.S. Women's Soccer Wins U20 World Cup, Defeating Germany, 1–0, In Final (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. September 8, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
    - Bell, Jack (September 8, 2012). "Another Title for U.S. Women". New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  22. ^ "U-20 WNT Crowned 2012 FIFA World Cup Champions". US Soccer. September 8, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cari_Roccaro&oldid=1265363972"