Annie Karich
American soccer player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Annie Lee Karich (born October 26, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Boston Legacy FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Santa Clara Broncos before starting her professional career with Frauen-Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.
|
Karich with the Boston Legacy in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Annie Lee Karich[1] | ||
| Date of birth | October 26, 2003[1] | ||
| Place of birth | California, United States | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Boston Legacy | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2018–2019 | Blues FC | ||
| 2019–2021 | Beach FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Santa Clara Broncos | 41 | (2) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | SC Freiburg | 33 | (0) |
| 2026– | Boston Legacy FC | 1 | (0) |
| 2025 | → América (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | United States U-17 | ||
| 2022 | United States U-20 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of March 14, 2026 | |||
Early life
Karich grew up in Surfside, California, the daughter of parents who played college basketball and college lacrosse at Santa Clara University.[2] She began playing soccer when she was three.[3] She played club soccer for Blues SC and Beach SC, winning the ECNL under-16 national title with the former in 2019.[2] Before her freshman year, she had committed to play college soccer for the Santa Clara Broncos.[4] She attended Mater Dei High School, where she earned Trinity League MVP and first-team All-CIF honors.[2] Before starting college, she trained with hometown NWSL expansion team Angel City FC in the 2022 preseason.[5]
College career
Karich had a strong freshman season with the Santa Clara Broncos in 2022, recording a team-high 8 assists and starting all but one game in 20 appearances.[2] She helped the Broncos win the West Coast Conference (WCC) regular-season championship and was named first-team All-WCC and the WCC Freshman of the Year.[6] She started all 21 games and scored 2 goals with 2 assists as a sophomore in 2023.[2] Leading a team that allowed just three goals in conference play, she was named first-team All-WCC and the WCC Defender of the Year.[7] After two seasons at Santa Clara, she decided to go pro and give up her remaining college eligibility.[8]
Club career
On November 24, 2023, German club SC Freiburg announced that they had signed Karich to her first professional contract and she would arrive after the winter break.[9] She made her professional debut in the first game of the year, starting and playing the full match at center back, in a 2–0 win over RB Leipzig on January 27, 2024.[10] She made a solid defensive partnership with Janina Minge, helping the club to three consecutive clean sheets in February/March,[11] before moving to defensive midfielder toward the end of the season.[12] She made 12 league appearances that season.[12] The following season, she made 21 appearances as SC Freiburg finished fifth in the league.[13]
On July 2, 2025, Boston Legacy announced the signing of Karich as the NWSL expansion team's first player, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the option for a further year.[14] She was loaned to Liga MX Femenil side Club América through the end of the year before Boston's inaugural season.[15] During her time in Mexico, she made key contributions with the most minutes in the squad as América reached the Apertura playoff final.[16]
International career
2019–2022: Youth level
Karich began training with the United States under-15 team in 2018.[17] She was a regular part of the under-17 team the following year. She was named to the under-20 squad for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup as an injury replacement for her Santa Clara teammate Sally Menti.[18]
