_031_(cropped).jpg) Purce withGotham in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Margaret Melinda Williams-Purce[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1995-09-18)September 18, 1995 (age 29)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Gotham FC | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | Harvard Crimson | 69 | (42) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Boston Breakers | 22 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Portland Thorns | 41 | (8) |
| 2020– | Gotham FC[a] | 46 | (16) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | United States U17 | ||
| 2013–2014 | United States U20 | ||
| 2015–2018 | United States U23 | ||
| 2019– | United States | 30 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 24, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 10, 2024 | |||
Margaret Melinda "Midge"Williams-Purce (born September 18, 1995) is an Americansoccer player who plays as aforward forNJ/NY Gotham FC of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and theUnited States national team. She previously played forPortland Thorns FC and theBoston Breakers. TheMost Valuable Player of Gotham's2023 NWSL Championship, she is known for her strength on the ball and her willingness to defend from the attack.
She was first selected to play for the United States at the under-17 level, appearing at the2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and the2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She made her first appearance for the senior national team in 2019, following a strong season with the Thorns.
She playedcollege soccer atHarvard University. In 2020, she was elected to a seat on theBoard of Overseers ofHarvard University with the support of Harvard Forward, an alumni climate activism group. She is an outspoken advocate for equal pay and is a co-founder and board member of the Black Women's Players Collective.
Purce is the daughter of James Purce, and has an older brother, JP Purce. She began playing soccer as a child, following in the footsteps of her brother.[3] She attendedOur Lady of Good Counsel Catholic High School in Olney, Maryland, near her hometown ofSilver Spring, Maryland[4] where she was named Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 and anNSCAA All-American in 2010 and 2011.[5]
Purce scored 42 goals in 69 appearances with theHarvard Crimson women's soccer team. She was namedIvy League Player of the Year in both 2015 and 2016 and a first-teamNSCAA All-American in 2016. She majored in psychology at Harvard[5] in pursuit of a career in law.[3]
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After playing for Harvard, Purce was drafted by theBoston Breakers with the 9th pick in the2017 NWSL College Draft.[6] She appeared in 22 games for Boston and scored one goal.[7]
After the Breakers folded in January 2018,[8] the league held adispersal draft for the Breakers' players; Purce was selected with the 4th pick by the Portland Thorns.[9]
Purce made 21 appearances and 16 starts for the Thorns in 2018, playing primarily as a rightfullback. During the 2019 NWSL season, Purce moved into wide and central forward positions, and at one point scored 5 goals in a span of 5 games.[3]
Purce was traded toSky Blue FC in 2020.[10] During the2021 NWSL season Purce played as a forward and scored nine goals, leading the team.[11] She came in second in the NWSL Golden Boot race and was named to the NWSL Best XI in the 2021 NWSL Awards alongside teammatesCaprice Dydasco andKailen Sheridan.[12] Purce was also a finalist for 2021NWSL MVP following a breakout season.[13]
In January 2022, Purce signed a two-year contract extension with NJ/NY Gotham FC.[14] Though sidelined through much of the2023 NWSL season after tearing her quad, Purce was instrumental in Gotham FC's NWSL playoff run. She assisted both goals in Gotham FC's 1-2 Championship win overOL Reign and was named theChampionship MVP.[15] While at Gotham FC, Purce has established a reputation as a strong dribbler and a dynamic, attacking player who's willing and able to take on defensive responsibilities.[16][17] She is in contract with Gotham FC through the 2024 season with an option to re-sign in 2025.[18]
Purce was called up to the United States women's nationalunder-17,under-20, andunder-23 teams. She played in the2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, made 4 appearances and 3 starts in the2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup,[19][20] and scored goals for the US U20s against France in a friendly[21] and against Mexico in the 2014 CONCACAF U20 Championship.[22]
Purce received her first call-up to theUnited States women's national team for the2017 Tournament of Nations but she did not appear in any of the three games.[23] She received another call-up in June 2018 for a pair of friendlies against China PR, but she sustained an ankle injury in training camp and was ruled out for the two friendlies.[24]
In November 2019, Purce received a call-up toVlatko Andonovski's first training camp as the new USWNT head coach. After playing as a right-back and a forward during her professional career, she was called in as a defender. Purce played in her first match for theUnited States women's national team in their friendly againstCosta Rica on November 10, 2019. She played the full 90 minutes of the game as right back, and had a cross deflected in for a Costa Rica own goal in the U.S. team's 6–0 victory.[17] Purce scored her first senior national team goal against Colombia on January 21, 2021.[25]
In November 2021, Purce was called up to her first senior national team camp as a forward.[26] She has appeared in 25 games for the national team, winning the2021,2022, and2023 editions of theSheBelieves Cup as well as the2022 CONCACAF W Championship with the United States. Following an injury in April 2023, Purce was not selected for the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad.[27]
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Purce is currently serving a six-year term as a member of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University.[28] She was elected in 2020 with the support of Harvard Forward, an alumni climate activism group.[29] Purce co-founded and currently serves as a board member for the Black Women's Players Collective (BWPC), a nonprofit with the goal of advancing opportunities for black girls in sport and beyond.[30][31] She was named to the 2023Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Sports category for her work with the BWPC.[32]
On March 24, 2021, Purce made an appearance at theWhite House with USWNT teammateMegan Rapinoe to raise awareness of theimportance of equal pay. In her remarks to introduceFirst LadyJill Biden, Purce said, "You would never expect a flower to bloom without water, but women in sport who have been denied water, sunlight, and soil are somehow expected to blossom. Invest in women, then let's talk again when you see the return."[33]
Purce is the creator ofThe Offseason, a reality television starring NWSL players in training before the new season, which premiered in 2024.[34]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[b] | Playoffs[c] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boston Breakers | 2017 | NWSL | 22 | 1 | — | — | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| Portland Thorns FC | 2018 | 19 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | 22 | 8 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 63 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 9 | ||
| NJ/NY Gotham FC[a] | 2020 | NWSL | — | 5 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 1 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 11 | |||
| 2022 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 4 | ||||
| 2023 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 20 | 5 | |||
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 46 | 16 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 20 | ||
| Career total | 109 | 25 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 140 | 30 | ||
| National Team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 22, 2021 | Orlando, Florida |  Colombia | 6–0 | 6–0 | Friendly | [m 1] |
| 2 | June 13, 2021 | Orlando, Florida |  Jamaica | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [m 2] |
| 3 | April 12, 2022 | Chester, Pennsylvania |  Uzbekistan | 8–0 | 9–0 | Friendly | [m 3] |
| 4 | July 4, 2022 | San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico |  Haiti | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 CONCACAF W Championship | [m 4] |
NJ/NY Gotham FC
United States
Individual
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