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]
Position(s)
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)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of December 31, 2025

Annelise Marie Henderson (born January 21, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder. She played college soccer for the Louisville Cardinals and UCF Knights before starting her professional career 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]

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.[21] 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. ^ a b "Fall 2022 Commencement Program" (PDF). University of Central Florida. p. 69. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Anna Henderson". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Anna Henderson llega a las Guerreras tras experiencia en el futbol europeo". Club Santos (in Spanish). January 10, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Anna Henderson". UCF Knights. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Doering, Joshua (January 2, 2025). "My Soccer Story: Anna Henderson". Touchline Talk. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  6. ^ a b "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. ^ "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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