Sydney Collins

Sydney Jane Collins (born September 8, 1999) is a soccer player who plays for the North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League. Born in the United States, she represents Canada at international level.

Sydney Collins
Collins with the North Carolina Courage in 2023
Personal information
Full name Sydney Jane Collins[1]
Date of birth (1999-09-08) September 8, 1999
Place of birth Hillsboro, Oregon, United States
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 North Carolina Courage
Number 18
Youth career
Hillsboro SC
FC Portland Soccer Academy
2017–2018 Portland Thorns
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 California Golden Bears 85 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– North Carolina Courage 1 (0)
International career‡
2022 United States U23
2023– Canada 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 1, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 26, 2023

Early life

Collins began playing soccer at age eight with Hillsboro SC.[2] She later played for the FC Portland Soccer Academy and the Portland Thorns Development Academy.[3][4]

She attended Jesuit High School in Oregon, where she was a four-year starter on the varsity soccer team, serving as team captain for her final two years.[5] She was a two-time state champion in 2015 and 2017, a two-time First Team All-State, voted to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI for the High School Girls All-American Game, and was a 2017 United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team.[4] She was also named the 2017-18 Oregon Girls Soccer Player of the Year.[6]

College career

In 2018, she began attending the University of California, Berkeley, where she played for the women's soccer team.[7] In her sophomore season in 2019, she was named a Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll Selection and CoSIDA Academic District 8 First Team Honoree.[4] In her junior season, she was named team captain, and was named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll once again.[4] She also scored her first collegiate goal on March 5, 2021, against the Colorado Buffaloes.[8] In her senior season, she was named to the Third Team All-Pac-12, the CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team and the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.[9][10] In 2022, she was named Pac-12 Defender of the Week for two consecutive weeks.[11][12] She was also an Academic All-District Team for the third time,[13] was named to the All-Pacific Region Second Team,[14] and the All-Pac-12 Second Team.[15]

Club career

At the 2023 NWSL Draft, Collins was selected in the first round (8th overall) by the North Carolina Courage.[16][17][18] In March 2023, she signed a three-year contract with the club.[19] She made her professional debut on April 1 against the San Diego Wave.[20]

International career

Collins was eligible to play for the United States (where she and her father were born) and Canada (where her mother was born).[16] In April 2016, she was called up to a camp with the United States U17 team.[3] In February 2022, she played with the United States U23 team at the Portland Thorns Preseason Tournament, where they faced professional teams from the NWSL.[21][22]

In February 2023, Collins joined the Canada women's team as a training player for the 2023 SheBelieves Cup.[23] She was then subsequently named to the roster in April for a friendly against France, making her debut on April 11.[24]

After not making the Canadian roster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the team would go on to suffer a disappointing group stage exit, Collins was called up for the team's next fixtures in September, a two-leg CONCACAF Olympic qualification playoff against Jamaica. Following training camp, she said "I think we have a really good energy about the group coming together and trying to move forward."[25] Despite having only played fourteen minutes in her lone prior international appearance, with Canada seeking to reorganize following the World Cup, coach Bev Priestman opted to start Collins in the first match, citing her strong camp performance.[26] This was widely cited as a "surprise" move, but Collins' performance was generally assessed positively, and she ultimately started both matches, which saw Canada defeat Jamaica and qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[27][28]

Personal life

Collins is the daughter of former National Football League and Canadian Football League player Brett Collins.[29]

Career statistics
As of match played July 1, 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Playoffs[lower-alpha 2] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
North Carolina Courage 2023 NWSL 1030—40
Career total 10300040
  1. Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. Includes NWSL Playoffs

References
  1. "The Class of 2022, University of California, Berkeley: Bachelor's Degree Candidates" (PDF). Class of 2022 Commencement. Berkeley, California: University of California, Berkeley. May 14, 2022. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  2. Sydney Collins at the Canadian Soccer Association
  3. "Sydney Collins Invited to U17 National Camp!". FC Portland Academy. April 11, 2016.
  4. "Sydney Collins California Golden Bears profile". California Golden Bears.
  5. "Sydney Collins '18 Chosen First Round in NWSL Draft". Jesuit High School. January 13, 2023.
  6. "2017-18 Oregon Girls Soccer Player of the Year - Sydney Collins". Gatorade Player of the Year.
  7. "Bears Ink Four On Signing Day". California Golden Bears. February 7, 2018.
  8. "No. 10 Bears Fall in Home Opener". California Golden Bears. March 5, 2021.
  9. "Eight Bears Named To CoSida Academic All-District Team". California Golden Bears. November 11, 2021.
  10. "Five Bears Earn Pac-12 Honors". California Golden Bears. November 12, 2021.
  11. "Collins, Anderson Take Home Weekly Honors". California Golden Bears. September 12, 2022.
  12. "Collins Named Pac-12 Defender of the Week". California Golden Bears. September 19, 2022.
  13. "Cal Places Six On Academic All-District Team". California Golden Bears. November 15, 2022.
  14. "Cal Trio Earns All-Region Honors". California Golden Bears. November 29, 2022.
  15. "Three Bears Earn All-Conference Honors". California Golden Bears. November 8, 2022.
  16. Camberos, Jovana (January 16, 2023). "Defensive power duo Collins, Anderson drafted into NWSL". The Daily Californian.
  17. "Collins, Anderson Selected in 2023 NWSL Draft". California Golden Bears. January 12, 2023.
  18. Ingemi, Marisa (January 12, 2023). "Sydney Collins, Izzy D'Aquila and Sierra Enge lead strong Bay Area group taken in NWSL draft". San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. "NC Courage Sign All 2023 Draftees to Three-Year Contracts with Team". Courage Country. March 13, 2023.
  20. Steiner, Ben (April 3, 2023). "Canadians thriving in NWSL, Europe ahead of April friendly against France". CBC Sports.
  21. "Bears Excel On International Stage". California Golden Bears. April 11, 2022.
  22. "Sydney Collins Earns U.S. U23 Call-Up". California Golden Bears. February 23, 2022.
  23. Rhodes, Benedict (February 13, 2023). "CanWNT reveals squad ahead of 2023 SheBelieves Cup". Canadian Premier League.
  24. "Canada comeback bid falls short in loss to France during women's World Cup tune-up". CBC Sports. April 11, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  25. Davidson, Neil (September 21, 2023). "Canada women looking forward not back as they take on Reggae Girlz in Olympic playoff". The Globe & Mail. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  26. Johnson, Meaghen (September 26, 2023). "Ahead of crucial Olympic qualifier, 'composed' Collins turning heads with CanWNT". TSN. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  27. "CanWNT beats Jamaica to take lead into second leg of Olympic qualifier". TSN. September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  28. Molinaro, John F. (September 27, 2023). "Maturing Canadians will get chance to defend Olympic title". Sportsnet. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  29. "Sydney Collins lone Canadian selected in 2023 NWSL Draft". Canadian Soccer Daily. January 13, 2023.
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