Caitlin Cosme
American soccer player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caitlin Meghani Cosme (born January 19, 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Première Ligue club FC Nantes. Born in the mainland United States, she plays for the Puerto Rico women's national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Caitlin Meghani Cosme[1] | ||
| Date of birth | January 19, 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | New Hyde Park, New York, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | FC Nantes | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Albertson Fury | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Duke Blue Devils | 70 | (10) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | Long Island Fury | ||
| 2021 | Gotham FC Reserves | ||
| 2022–2023 | Orlando Pride | 4 | (0) |
| 2024 | Stjarnan | 11 | (2) |
| 2024– | FC Nantes | 18 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | United States U14 | ||
| 2014 | United States U15 | ||
| 2025– | Puerto Rico | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 7, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of May 29, 2025 | |||
Cosme spent her collegiate career with the Duke Blue Devils, winning one ACC title before being drafted 10th overall in the 2022 NWSL Draft by Orlando Pride.
Early life
Born in New Hyde Park, New York, Cosme attended Herricks High School and helped lead the varsity soccer team to the quarterfinals in the state playoffs in her junior and senior years.[2] She was named High School All-American as a senior and became the first defender to be awarded MVP for the East squad.[3][1] She also played club soccer for ECNL team Albertson Fury. Cosme left high school as the No. 5 ranked defender in the 2017 recruiting class nationally and the No. 1 recruit from the state of New York.[4][1]
Duke Blue Devils
Cosme played five seasons of college soccer for the Blue Devils at Duke University between 2017 and 2021 while majoring in psychology. As a freshman, Cosme was limited to one appearance totaling six minutes, making her debut against Miami Hurricanes on October 15, 2017. Duke won the ACC regular season title.[1] After struggling with mononucleosis all of preseason, Cosme again saw limited playing time as a sophomore, playing four regular season games all as a substitute. Towards the end of the season however, she got an opportunity to play in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, starting all three games as Duke reached the round of 16.[5] In her junior year, Cosme played in all 20 games including 18 starts and scored her first goal for Duke in a 4–1 win over Syracuse Orange. Ahead of her senior campaign, Cosme was voted a team captain. She started all 21 games, scoring a career-high and team-leading six goals including a postseason game-winner in a 1–0 win over Ole Miss in the third round. Individually, Cosme was named first-team All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches in 2020.[1] In 2021, Cosme opted to use the additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the third consecutive season, she featured in every game, starting in all but one of her 21 appearances. She scored three goals including a postseason game-winner in a 1–0 win over Old Dominion in the first round, converting a free kick from outside the box with 16 seconds left.[6][1]
While at college, Cosme spent the 2018 offseason playing in the Women's Premier Soccer League with Long Island Fury and joined the NJ/NY Gotham FC reserves for the 2021 WPSL season.[7]
Club career
Orlando Pride
On December 18, 2021, Cosme was selected in the first round (10th overall) of the 2022 NWSL Draft by Orlando Pride. Orlando had traded up during the draft to acquire the pick along with Leah Pruitt, Celia and a second-round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft from OL Reign in exchange for Phoebe McClernon.[8] On January 31, 2022, Cosme signed a two-year contract with Orlando.[9] She sustained a knee injury in preseason and, despite returning to be named as a substitute six times across July and August, ended the season back on the injury report and did not make an appearance as a rookie. She made her debut on March 26, 2023, starting Orlando's 2023 season opener, a 4–0 defeat away to Portland Thorns FC.[10] She was released upon the expiry of her contract at the end of the 2023 season having made six appearances in all competitions.[11]
Stjarnan
On April 4, 2024, Cosme signed a contract with Besta deild kvenna club Stjarnan.[12][13]
International career
Cosme has previously been a member of the United States national team at under-14 and under-15 level.[14][1] In February 2022, Cosme was named to the senior Puerto Rico national team during 2022 CONCACAF W Championship qualification but did not accept the call-up.[15]
In May 2025, she received another call from Puerto Rico national team, making her debut on May 29 against Guatemala women's national football team.[16]
Personal life
Both of Cosme's parents were professional tennis players. Her father, John, played tennis at Hampton University and Brooklyn College before playing professionally from 1984 to 1986. Her mother, Hemel, played at UC Santa Barbara and then played professionally from 1988 to 1991. She has one sister, Taylor, who played tennis at Emory and Brown (2015–19).[1]
She is of Puerto Rican and Indian descent.[17][18]
In 2023, Cosme became a Global Ambassador for Grassroot Soccer, an adolescent health organization that leverages the power of soccer to equip young people with the life-saving information, services, and mentorship they need to live healthier lives.[19]
Career statistics
College summary
| School | Season | Division | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Blue Devils | 2017 | Div. I | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | 21 | 6 | ||
| 2021 | 21 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 70 | 10 | ||
Club summary
- As of August 9, 2023[20]
- Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes NWSL Playoffs
Honors
Duke Blue Devils
- Atlantic Coast Conference regular season: 2017
