.jpg) Fleming with thePortland Thorns in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jessie Alexandra Fleming[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-03-11)March 11, 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | London, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Portland Thorns[2] | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Nor'West Optimist SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | UCLA Bruins | 75 | (25) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2024 | Chelsea | 65 | (10) |
| 2024– | Portland Thorns | 50 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013–2014 | Canada U-17 | 9 | (4) |
| 2014 | Canada U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2015 | Canada U-23 | 5 | (1) |
| 2013– | Canada | 149 | (20) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of November 15, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of October 28, 2025 | |||
Jessie Alexandra Fleming (born March 11, 1998) is a Canadian professionalsoccer player who plays as amidfielder forNational Women's Soccer League clubPortland Thorns andcaptains theCanadian national team.
Fleming playedcollege soccer in the United States for theUCLA Bruins from 2016 to 2019, before turning professional and spending four years with English clubChelsea. She was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning side at the2020 Summer Olympics, where she scored the team's only regular-time goal in the final on apenalty kick, as well as the first goal in thepenalty shoot-out.[3]
Fleming was born inLondon, Ontario to Michaele and John Fleming, who are both originally fromToronto.[4] She has an older brother, Tristan, and a younger sister, Elysse.[5] Growing up, she competed insoccer,hockey (including in a full-contact boys' league),track and field, andcross-country.[4][5] She started playing soccer at the age of three for the London-based Nor'West Optimist Soccer Club, where she remained until 2016.[4][6]
Fleming attended elementary school at Ryerson Public School, where she remained undefeated in cross-country throughout her entire elementary school career. She went on to attendLondon Central Secondary School from Grade 9 to Grade 10, where she competed inOFSAA track and field and cross-country. In 2012, she won the novice girls' 4000m race at theOFSAA Cross Country Championships. The following year, she competed at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships and won both the midget women's 1500m and midget women's 3000m competitions.[7][8] She still holds the record for the 1500m in the midget women's category.[5] In 2014, she competed again at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships, winning a gold medal in the junior women's 3000m race[9] and a silver medal in the junior women's 1500m race.[10] She switched toH. B. Beal Secondary School for Grades 11 and 12, and graduated in 2016.[5][11]
Fleming verbally committed toUCLA in December 2014[12][13] and joined the Bruins in August 2016.[14] She played her first game on August 28, less than ten days after helpingCanada win a bronze medal at theOlympic Games, scoring twice in a 4–3 loss toFlorida.[15] Her goalscoring tear continued as she netted 7 goals in her first 6 games as a college player. She appeared in 19 games, making 16 starts, and finished as the leading scorer on the team with 11 goals and 5 assists, for a total of 27 points. Fleming was one of just two freshmen to receive All-America honours in 2016, being selected to theNSCAA All-America third team. She was selected theTop Drawer Soccer Freshman of the Year, and also earned first-team NSCAA All-Pacific Region, All-Pac-12 and All-Freshman acclaim.[16]
As a sophomore, Fleming scored 6 goals, including three game-winners, and recorded 8 assists, for a total of 20 points. She earned first-team All-America honours and received first-team All-West Region and All-Pac-12 honours for the second-straight year. After helping UCLA reach theCollege Cup final and scoring a goal in the championship match, she was selected as a finalist for theHermann Trophy[17] and chosen as one of four nominees for the Class of 2018Honda Sports Award for soccer.[18]
Although she missed nearly half of her junior season while on national team duty, Fleming still earned first-team All-Pac-12 honours for the third year in a row and was a second-team All-West Region honouree after scoring 15 points on 5 goals and 5 assists.[19]
As a senior, Fleming played in a defensive midfield role, finishing the season with 3 goals and 4 assists in 22 appearances, for a total of 10 points.[20] She was chosen as one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy[21] and one of four finalists for the Honda Sports Award.[20] She was also one of ten finalists for theSenior CLASS Award.[22]
She graduated from UCLA in 2021, with a major inmaterials engineering and a minor inenvironmental science.[23]
On July 22, 2020, Fleming signed forFA WSL championsChelsea on a three-year deal.[24] On August 29, she made her debut for the Blues as a substitute againstManchester City in the2020 FA Community Shield atWembley.[25] On December 9, she made herUEFA Champions League debut in a 5–0 away win overBenfica.[26] She made her first start against the same opposition a week later, and helped her team to a 3–0 victory atKingsmeadow.[27] On January 27, 2021, she made her first league start in a 4–0 away win overAston Villa atBanks's Stadium.[28] On March 14, she played the full 90 minutes as the Blues won the2021 FA League Cup Final againstBristol City atVicarage Road.[29] In her first season at Chelsea, she made a total of 26 appearances across all competitions and won the2020–21 FA WSL title.[30] She was an unused substitute in the2021 Champions League Final, where Chelsea were defeated byBarcelona.[31] Fleming would later cite the transition to the professional scene as a challenge, in particular the need to raise her game in order to vie for playing time.[32]
Beginning the2021–22 FA WSL, Fleming scored her first goal for Chelsea in a 6–1 victory againstManchester United atLeigh Sports Village on September 26, 2021.[33] Three days later, she got her first assist for the club in the2020–21 FA Cup quarter-final againstBirmingham City, setting upFran Kirby in the 72nd minute.[34] On October 10, she registered her first league assist in a 2–0 win againstLeicester City.[35] On October 31, she assistedBeth England in a 3–0 victory against Manchester City at theAcademy Stadium, helping Chelsea reach the2021 FA Cup Final.[36] She scored in the 1–0 victory away at Aston Villa.[37] On November 9, she scored her first Champions League goal in a 7–0 win away toServette.[38] The 2021–22 WSL season saw Fleming's usage by the club increase significantly, featuring in 21 of 22 games, 11 of those as starts, and tallying six goals and four assists. She won the league title with Chelsea for the second time, before playing in her second consecutive run with the club to the2022 FA Cup Final.[39]
Shortly after the commencement of the2022–23 Women's Super League, Fleming signed a contract extension with Chelsea through the summer of 2025.[40] Chelsea won its third consecutiveFA Cup on May 27, 2023, and four days later secured its fourth consecutive Women's Super League title.[41][42] Fleming played 20 games in the season, with a new career high of 14 starts.[43] However, her playing time began to decline as the season went on, a trend that continued into thefollowing season.[44]
On January 23, 2024,The Daily Telegraph reported that Fleming would be moving to the AmericanNational Women's Soccer League teamPortland Thorns FC. The stated transfer fee of £250,000 would make it the most expensive acquisition ever by an NWSL club.[45] On January 31, 2024, after four years with Chelsea, the Thorns announced the signing of Fleming for an undisclosed fee, with the then-head coachMike Norris saying of the transfer "Adding a player of Jessie’s caliber is a big step for us as we continue to build the roster for 2024 and beyond".[46]
Fleming scored her first goal for Portland on April 27, 2025, converting a penalty in a 3–3 draw againstRacing Louisville in a match which broke the record for most fouls (41) in an NWSL game, with Fleming saying of the game "“I do think that match can’t keep happening in this league. I think it’s embarrassing. It alters the match, it alters the sport. I think it’s embarrassing for the league and I think it’s embarrassing for Louisville as a club," and as "Probably one of, if not the most frustrating match I’ve ever been a part of as a player. So I think the league needs to look at that closely. I think Louisville should be embarrassed.”[47]
Fleming started playing for the Canadian youth national teams in 2012, at the age of 14.[48] The following year, she captainedCanada at the2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship inJamaica,[49] leading the team to a silver medal.[50] During the tournament, she scored three goals (two in the group stage and one in the semi-final againstJamaica) and was named Player of the Match in two of Canada's five matches.[51][52] As a result, she was named to the Best XI[53] and awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament'sMost Valuable Player (MVP).[54]In December 2013, she was chosen as one of six nominees for theCanadian U-17 Players of the Year award.[55]
At the2014 U-17 World Cup inCosta Rica, Fleming navigated Canada out of thegroup of death (which includedGermany,North Korea, andGhana).[56][57] She played in all four of Canada's games, scoring one goal in the 2–2 draw with Germany.[58] She also recorded an assist in the quarter-final loss toVenezuela.[4]
Fleming was a member of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the2014 U-20 World Cup in Canada.[59] At 16, she was the second-youngest player on the Canadian roster. She made two appearances (againstGhana andFinland) in the group stage of the tournament, before playing all 90 minutes in the quarter-final againstGermany. In December 2014, she was namedCanadian U-17 Player of the Year.[59][60]
Fleming also represented Canada at the2015 Pan American Games, where theCanadian Soccer Association fielded an Olympic Developmental under-23 squad.[61] She played every minute of the tournament, scoring an 88th-minute penalty in thebronze medal match againstMexico, which Canada lost 2–1. In December 2015, she was namedCanadian U-20 Player of the Year.[62]
In December 2013, following her performances at theCONCACAF U-17 Championship, Fleming received her first call-up to thesenior national team, ahead of the2013 Torneio Internacional de Brasília.[63][64] On December 15, she made her senior international debut at the age of 15 years and 278 days, when she replacedBrittany Baxter in the 72nd minute of a 1–0 defeat toChile at theEstádio Nacional Mané Garrincha.[65] Fifteen minutes into her debut, she received her first yellow card.[66] At the time, she was the second-youngest player to ever play for the national team;[67] as of 2021, she is the third-youngest, afterOlivia Smith andKara Lang.[65] A week later, she made her first start in a 1–0 win overScotland, and was replaced at half-time byKaylyn Kyle.[68]
In 2014, Fleming made six more appearances – three as a starter and three as a substitute – for the senior national team, all in friendly matches.[4]
In early 2015, Fleming moved toVancouver to train full-time with the national team ahead of the2015 FIFA World Cup.[60][69] In January, she started all three matches at the2015 Four Nations Tournament inChina,[4] which Canada won.[70] On March 4, 2015, Fleming scored her first senior international goal in a 2–0 win over Scotland at the2015 Cyprus Cup.[71]
On April 27, 2015, Fleming was named to the roster for the 2015 World Cup, held on home soil in Canada.[72] At the age of 17, she was the youngest player on the Canadian team.[69] On May 14, she scored the only goal in abehind-closed-doors friendly againstMexico, which Canada won 1–0.[73] On June 15, she started Canada's final group stage match of the World Cup againstNetherlands in front of 45,420 fans atOlympic Stadium. The match ended 1–1, which was enough for Canada to winGroup A.[74] Canada defeatedSwitzerland, its first World Cup knockout stage win since2003, but fell toEngland in the quarter-final.[75][76]
At theCONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers, Fleming made three appearances in the group stage and scored her second international goal againstTrinidad and Tobago on February 14, helping Canada win Group A.[4] However, she did not feature in the semi-final win overCosta Rica or in the final loss to theUnited States.[4] On July 20, she scored her third international goal in a friendly win overChina at theStade Sébastien Charléty.[77] She was named toCanada's2016 Summer Olympics squad, which defeated the home teamBrazil to win a bronze medal.[78] She had a secondary assist on the winning goal, scored byChristine Sinclair.[78]
Fleming made her 50th senior appearance on March 7, 2018, scoring her fifth international goal in a 3–0 win overSouth Korea at the2018 Algarve Cup.[79] She was by this point established as one of the most promising younger players on a team, at a time when commentators were increasingly contemplating its future upon the eventual retirement of longtime captain Sinclair.[80]
On May 25, 2019, Fleming was named to the roster for the2019 FIFA World Cup,[81] where she would eventually play every minute of the tournament for Canada.[4] On June 15, she scored her first World Cup goal in the 2–0 group stage victory overNew Zealand and was chosen Player of the Match.[82] Canada was ultimately eliminated in the Round of 16 bySweden, which renewed doubts about the program's future.[83][84] Fleming would reflect, years later, that it was "really disappointing. I think it's fair to say we feel like we underperformed that tournament."[85]
Fleming was named part of theCanadian team for the2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo, participating in her secondOlympic tournament. The Tokyo Olympics marked a major boost in Fleming's profile when, following a quarter-final shootout win over Brazil that saw captain Sinclair miss her penalty attempt, the latter advised coachBev Priestman that Fleming should take over as the team's designated penalty-taker in the tournament.[86][87] In the August 2, 2021, semi-final match with theUnited States, Fleming scored the only goal via a penalty kick, resulting in a 1–0 win that sent Canada to its first ever Olympic final.[88] Sinclair handing Fleming the ball in advance of the kick was misinterpreted by many as a spontaneous decision, rather than one agreed in advance, and was widely covered as a "passing of the torch" scenario.[87] Fleming repeated her performance during the gold medal match, scoring on a penalty kick against Sweden to tie the game 1–1. She later scored the first goal in the shoot-out at the end of the game, which resulted in Canada winning the gold medal.[3]
Achievements in 2021–22
In 2021, Fleming was named Player of the Month three times by the Canadian Soccer Association, in the months of March, October, and November.[89][90][91] She was also voted asCanadian Player of the Year[48] and nominated for theCONCACAF Women's Player of the Year award.[92]
At the2022 Arnold Clark Cup, Fleming started the first match againstEngland as captain, in the absence of regular captain Christine Sinclair.[93] On June 26, she earned her 100th cap while serving as captain again for a 0–0 draw againstSouth Korea in a friendly match atBMO Field.[94] Later in the year, she was one of four players to score three goals at the2022 CONCACAF W Championship, but lost the Golden Boot to teammateJulia Grosso on a tiebreaker, Grosso having had an assist and played fewer minutes.[95][96] She was named Canada Soccer's Player of the Year for the second time, becoming the third woman to win the award consecutively.[97]
2023 World Cup
The leadup to the2023 FIFA World Cup was marked by conflicts between the women's national team and theCanadian Soccer Association over the team's financing, as well as questions around Canada's offensive capabilities.[98][99] The draw placed them in what Fleming called a "challenging"[85] group that included host nationAustralia.[99] Fleming was widely expected to be a central role on the team in the tournament, with many commentators identifying her as Canada's most important player.[100][101] Former national team memberAmy Walsh assessed that "it's very much Jessie Fleming's team. How Fleming goes, I think Canada goes."[43] However, as a result of a practice injury, Fleming was unable to play in the opening match againstNigeria, which ended in a 0–0 draw, with her absence being widely noted as a major weakness.[102][103] She returned to play the full 90 minutes in Canada's 2–1 victory overIreland, wearing the captain's armband in the first half prior to Sinclair's substituting on.[104] Canada entered its final group match needing only a draw with Australia to advance, but were defeated 4–0 in what was widely described as one of the team's worst defeats in major competition. Fleming described it as "a bad night to have a bad night,"[105] with post-match assessments of roster performance largely concluding that she had not been able to influence the outcome to her own standard.[106][107]
Following the disappointment in Australia, the team regrouped for their next fixtures, theCONCACAF Olympic qualification playoff in September, facingJamaica for the second CONCACAF berth at the2024 Summer Olympics inParis. Despite initial concerns, Canada won both games.[108][109] Fleming started both games and wore the captain's armband; when Sinclair was substituted on for the second game, Fleming "tried to give her the captain’s armband. Sinclair immediately waved her off."[109] At year's end, she was named Canada Soccer's Player of the Year for the third consecutive time.[110]
In advance of the2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Fleming was named the captain of the Canada national team, succeeding Sinclair.[111] Canada reached the semi-final of the tournament, ultimately falling to the United States in a penalty shootout.[112] Fleming was named to the tournament’s Best XI.[113]
Fleming was called up to the Canada squad for the2024 Summer Olympics.[114] She played in the first half of Canada's quarterfinal loss on penalties toGermany.[115]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental[c] | Other[d] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea | 2020–21 | WSL | 14 | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Total | 65 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 111 | 12 | ||
| Portland Thorns | 2024 | NWSL | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2025 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | ||
| Total | 50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 115 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 166 | 14 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 15 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 17 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 17 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 16 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 149 | 20 | |
Chelsea
Canada
Individual
Canada squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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