Alana Cook
{{Short description|American soccer player (born 1997)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alana Cook
| image = NC Courage vs Seattle Reign (Apr 2024) 037 (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Cook with the Seattle Reign in 2024
| fullname = Alana Simone Cook{{cite web |url=https://stconcacafwp001.blob.core.windows.net/media/i5pkwxe5/provisional_rosters_v2.pdf |title=National team roster – 2022 Concacaf W Championship: USA |work=CONCACAF |page=15 |date=June 8, 2022 |access-date=June 8, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608213440/https://stconcacafwp001.blob.core.windows.net/media/i5pkwxe5/provisional_rosters_v2.pdf |archive-date=June 8, 2022}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|04|11}}
| birth_place = Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
| currentclub = Kansas City Current
| clubnumber = 15
| height = 5 ft 9 in
| position = Center back
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = The Pennington School
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 = Match Fit Academy Colchesters
| collegeyears1 = 2015–2018
| college1 = Stanford Cardinal
| collegecaps1 = 93
| collegegoals1 = 5
| years1 = 2019–2021
| clubs1 = Paris Saint-Germain
| caps1 = 21
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2020
| clubs2 = → OL Reign (loan)
| caps2 = 0
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2021–2024
| clubs3 = Seattle Reign{{efn|The club was known as OL Reign from 2020 to 2023. In January 2024, it returned to its original name, Seattle Reign, due to the OL Groupe looking to sell the club.{{cite web |url= https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/reign/ol-reign-transform-to-seattle-reign-fc-in-throwback-to-original-name-and-crest/ |title= OL Reign transform to Seattle Reign FC in throwback to original name and crest |last= Evans|first= Jayda|date= January 9, 2024|website= The Seattle Times|publisher= The Seattle Times Company|access-date= August 14, 2024}}}}
| caps3 = 65
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2024–
| clubs4 = Kansas City Current
| caps4 = 0
| goals4 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2013
| nationalteam1 = United States U17
| nationalcaps1 =
| nationalgoals1 =
| nationalyears2 = 2014–2016
| nationalteam2 = United States U20
| nationalcaps2 =
| nationalgoals2 =
| nationalyears3 = 2017–2019
| nationalteam3 = United States U23
| nationalcaps3 = 3
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 2019–
| nationalteam4 = United States
| nationalcaps4 = 30
| nationalgoals4 = 1
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Women's football}}
{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|CONCACAF W Championship}}
{{Medal|Winner|2022 Mexico|}}
| pcupdate = June 28, 2024
| ntupdate = April 8, 2025
}}
Alana Simone Cook (born April 11, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League and the United States national team.
After playing collegiately for the Stanford Cardinal, Cook signed with French club Paris Saint-Germain. She signed with Seattle Reign FC in 2021.
Cook debuted for the United States national team in 2019. She was selected in the squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Early life
Cook was born in Worcester, Massachusetts to parents Florence and Bryan Cook{{Cite web |title=Alana Cook - Women's Soccer |url=https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/alana-cook/14071 |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Stanford University Athletics |language=en}} and raised with sister Brianna in Worcester and Far Hills, New Jersey.{{cite web |title=Alana Cook |url=https://justwomenssports.com/wiki/alana-cook/ |website=Just Women's Sports |date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=6 October 2022}}{{cite web |title=OL REIGN SIGN USWNT DEFENDER ALANA COOK THROUGH 2023 SEASON |url=https://www.olreign.com/news/welcome-alana |publisher=OL Reign |access-date=6 October 2022 |date=June 7, 2021}}{{cite web |title=Alana Cook |url=https://www.newjerseyhills.com/bernardsville_news/sports/alana-cook/image_574d06e9-53de-5570-af2c-9ab33a241299.html |publisher=newjerseyhills.com |access-date=6 October 2022 |date=9 February 2015}} She attended The Pennington School, a boarding school in Pennington, New Jersey, and helped guide the varsity soccer team to regional and state titles.{{cite web |last1=Theivam |first1=Kieran |title=The lowdown on Alana Cook, the 22-year-old American called up by Phil Neville to train with England |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1262937/2019/10/04/kieran-theivam-alana-cook/ |publisher=The Athletic |access-date=6 October 2022}} Cook was named 2013 New Jersey Prep Player of the Year and 2015 NSCAA High School Scholar Player of the Year.
Twice named NSCAA Youth All-American,{{cite web |title=Pennington School senior Alana Cook named to Youth Girls All-America Team |url=https://www.nj.com/messenger-gazette/2014/12/pennington_school_senior_alana_cook_named_to_youth_girls_all-america_team.html |publisher=nj.com |access-date=6 October 2022 |date=22 December 2014}} Cook played in the NSCAA High School All-America Game and earned Best XI honors. She played club soccer for Match Fit Academy Colchesters and won the 2013 U.S. Youth Soccer National League title with the team.{{cite web |last1=Athletics |first1=Stanford |title=Stanford women's soccer signs top class of six recruits |url=https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2015/02/04/stanford-womens-soccer-signs-top-class-of-six-recruits |website=www.paloaltoonline.com |date=February 4, 2015 |language=en}}
Cook began representing the United States on its youth national teams as a teenager.
=Stanford Cardinal=
Cook attended the Stanford University from 2015 to 2018 where she earned a degree in symbolic systems and was a four-year starter for the Stanford Cardinal women's soccer team. She captained the team in her final two seasons. She was named Pac-12 Conference Defender of the Year and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2018.{{cite web|title=College career|url=https://gostanford.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=14071|accessdate=19 April 2019}}
Club career
=Paris Saint-Germain, 2019–21=
In January 2019, Cook elected to forgo the 2019 NWSL College Draft despite her first round draft grade{{cite web |title=2019 NWSL Mock Draft: Rounds 1 & 2 {{!}} College Soccer |url=https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/2019-nwsl-mock-draft:-rounds-1-2_aid45703 |website=TopDrawerSoccer.com |language=en}} and instead chose to pursue opportunities in Europe, signing a three-year deal with French Division 1 Féminine team Paris Saint-Germain.{{cite web|title=Alana Cook signs a three-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain|date=15 January 2019 |url=https://en.psg.fr/teams/womens-team/content/alana-cook-signs-a-three-year-deal-with-paris-saint-germain|accessdate=19 April 2019}}
==OL Reign (loan), 2020==
On June 16, 2020, Cook joined OL Reign on a short-term loan for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup.{{cite news |title=OL REIGN SIGN DEFENDER ALANA COOK |url=https://www.olreign.com/news/2020/6/16/ol-reign-sign-defender-alana-cook |accessdate=16 June 2020 |publisher=OL Reign |date=16 June 2020 |archive-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617205207/https://www.olreign.com/news/2020/6/16/ol-reign-sign-defender-alana-cook |url-status=dead }}
=OL / Seattle Reign, 2021–2024=
On June 7, 2021, OL Reign signed Cook to a three-year contract with an option for an extra year on a permanent transfer from PSG.{{cite web|title=OL REIGN SIGN USWNT DEFENDER ALANA COOK THROUGH 2023 SEASON|url=https://www.olreign.com/news/welcome-alana|accessdate=9 July 2021}}
During the 2021 season, Cook was a starting defender in all 20 matches of the regular season.{{Soccerway|594711}} The Reign finished in second place during the regular season with a {{win-loss record|w=13|d=3|l=8}} record.{{cite web |title=2021 National Women's Soccer League |url=https://us.soccerway.com/national/united-states/national-womens-soccer-league/2020/regular-season/r56115/ |publisher=Soccerway |access-date=16 August 2022}} After advancing to the NWSL Playoffs, they were eliminated by eventual champions Washington Spirit.{{cite web |title=OL Reign season ends with stunning 2-1 home playoff loss to Washington Spirit |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/reign/ol-reign-season-ends-with-stunning-2-1-home-playoff-loss-to-washington-spirit/ |publisher=The Seattle Times |access-date=16 August 2022 |date=November 14, 2021}} Cook was named to the league's Best XI.{{cite web |title=NWSL Announces the Winners of Mastercard Inaugural 2021 Best XI Awards |url=https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-announces-the-winners-of-mastercard-inaugural-2021-best-xi-awards |publisher=National Women's Soccer League |access-date=6 October 2022 |date=17 November 2021}}
In 2022, Cook helped OL Reign finish in first place during the regular season winning the NWSL Shield.{{cite web |last1=Vertelney |first1=Seth |title=Alana Cook sent Midge Purce $10 for helping OL Reign win the NWSL Shield |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/alana-cook-sent-midge-purce-dollar10-for-helping-ol-reign-win-the-nwsl-shield/ar-AA12xN6G |publisher=MSN |access-date=7 October 2022 |date=3 October 2022}} She was nominated for NWSL Defender of the Year for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.{{cite news|url=https://justwomenssports.com/reads/gotham-fc-caprice-dydasco-nwsl-defender-of-year/|title=Gotham FC's Caprice Dydasco Named NWSL Defender of the Year|date=2021-11-16|last=Hruby|first=Emma|website=Just Women's Sports|access-date=2024-06-27}}{{cite news|url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2022/10/27/naomi-girma-named-2022-nwsl-defender-of-the-year/|title=Naomi Girma named 2022 NWSL Defender of the Year|date=2022-10-27|last=Lauletta|first=Dan|website=The Equalizer|access-date=2024-06-27}}
= Kansas City Current, 2024– =
File:NC Courage vs KC Current (Sep 2024) 079.jpg
On July 22, 2024, Seattle Reign announced that they had traded Cook to Kansas City Current for allocation money and intra-league transfer funds.{{Cite web |title=Seattle Reign FC Acquires Allocation Money and Intra-League Transfer Funds in Trade with Kansas City Current |url=https://www.reignfc.com/news/seattle-reign-fc-acquires-allocation-money-and-intra-league-transfer-funds-in-trade-with-kansas-city-current |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=Seattle Reign FC |language=en-US}}
International career
Cook has competed for the United States under-17, under-20, under-23, and senior national teams.
She captained the under-17 team and made the jump to the under-20 team in 2014 followed by the under-23 team in 2017.{{cite news |title=U.S. U-23 WNT set for back-to-back training camps in Oregon, Florida |url=https://www.soccerwire.com/news/u-s-u-23-wnt-set-for-back-to-back-training-camps-in-oregon-florida/ |accessdate=24 September 2019 |publisher=Soccer Wire |date=March 21, 2017}} She captained the under-23 squad in 2019.{{cite news |title=U-23 WNT OPENS LA MANGA TOURNAMENT IN SPAIN WITH 1-0 WIN AGAINST SWEDEN |url=http://orig-sc.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/04/12/15/03/20190405-recap-u23wnt-opens-la-manga-tournament-with-1-0-win-against-sweden |accessdate=24 September 2019 |publisher=US Soccer |date=April 12, 2019 |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924192329/http://orig-sc.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/04/12/15/03/20190405-recap-u23wnt-opens-la-manga-tournament-with-1-0-win-against-sweden |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=U-23 WNT Will Travel to 2019 Nordic Tournament to Face Norway, England and Sweden |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/08/us-u23-wnt-travels-2019-nordic-tournament-norway-england-sweden |website=www.ussoccer.com |language=en}} She is eligible to represent England because of her British father and earned her first senior international call-up in September 2019 as a training player for England's friendlies against Portugal and Brazil.{{cite news |title=PHIL NEVILLE NAMES ENGLAND SQUAD FOR MATCHES AGAINST BRAZIL AND PORTUGAL |url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2019/sep/24/england-squad-brazil-portugal-240919 |accessdate=24 September 2019 |publisher=Football Association |date=24 September 2019}}
Cook received her first call-up to the United States national team on October 31, 2019.{{cite news |title=VLATKO ANDONOVSKI NAMES 24-PLAYER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER FOR FRIENDLIES AGAINST SWEDEN AND COSTA RICA |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/10/vlatko-andonovski-names-24-player-training-camp-roster-for-friendlies-against-sweden-and-costa-rica |accessdate=31 October 2019 |publisher=US Soccer |date=31 October 2019}} In June 2023, she was named to the U.S. squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65978315|title=Morgan and Rapinoe named in USA World Cup squad|work=BBC Sport }}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|October 2, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/players/7ca7c385/Alana-Cook|title=Alana Cook Stats|website=FBref.com}}
| class="wikitable" Style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club | rowspan="2"|Season | colspan="3"|League | colspan="2"|CupIncludes Coupe de France and NWSL Challenge Cup. | colspan="2"|Continental | colspan="2"|OtherIncludes Trophée des Championnes and NWSL Playoffs. | colspan="2"|Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="4"|Paris Saint-Germain
|D1F |3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20
|D1F |5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2020–21
|D1F |13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| OL Reign (loan)
|2020 |NWSL |colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | ||||
| rowspan="3"|OL Reign
|2021 |NWSL |19 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2022
|NWSL |19 | 0 | 7 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!38 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!59 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 2 |
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
=International=
{{updated|match played April 8, 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan=7|United States
|2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total | 30 | 1 |
:Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cook goal.
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Alana Cook |
| scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition !scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| style="text-align:center"|1
|{{dts|2023-04-11}} |{{fbw|Republic of Ireland}} |style="text-align:center"|1–0 |style="text-align:center"|1–0 | |
Honors
;Stanford Cardinal
;Paris Saint-Germain
- Division 1 Féminine: 2020–21{{cite web|last=Loyant|first=Richard|date=4 June 2021|title=Paris SG sacré pour la première fois|url=https://www.fff.fr/article/2976-paris-sg-sacre-pour-la-premiere-fois.html|url-status=live|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604212434/https://www.fff.fr/article/2976-paris-sg-sacre-pour-la-premiere-fois.html |archive-date=2021-06-04 }}
; OL Reign
- NWSL Shield: 2022{{cite web |last1=Vertelney |first1=Seth |title=Alana Cook sent Midge Purce $10 for helping OL Reign win the NWSL Shield |url=https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/2022/10/03/cook-sends-purce-10-for-helping-ol-reign-win-nwsl-shield/ |publisher=USA Today |access-date=6 October 2022 |date=October 3, 2022}}
- The Women's Cup: 2022{{cite web |title=OL Reign Claim 2022 Women's Cup Title with 2-1 Win over Louisville |url=https://www.king5.com/article/sports/ol-reign-claim-2022-womens-cup-title-with-2-1-win-over-louisville/281-02e341dc-0186-4c81-b6a1-50662c2a15a7 |publisher=King 5 |access-date=7 October 2022 |date=20 August 2022}}
Kansas City Current
- NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: 2024{{cite news|url=https://www.kansascitycurrent.com/news/match-report-kansas-city-current-win-nwsl-x-liga-mx-femenil-summer-cup-with-2-0-victory-over-nj-ny-gotham-fc|title=Match Report: Kansas City Current win NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with 2-0 victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC|date=2024-10-25|publisher=Kansas City Current|access-date=2024-11-29}}
;United States U23
- Nordic Tournament: 2019
;United States
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2022{{cite news |last=Das |first=Andrew |date=July 19, 2022 |title=U.S. Women Beat Canada to Claim Spot in Paris Olympics |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/sports/soccer/uswnt-canada-concacaf-w-championship.html}}
- SheBelieves Cup: 2022,{{cite web |title=U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Iceland 5-0 to Win Third Consecutive and Fifth Overall SheBelieves Cup Title, Presented by Visa|url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/02/2022-shebelieves-cup-uswnt-5-iceland-0-match-report-stats-standings |work=U.S. Soccer |date=February 23, 2022}} 2023{{Cite web |last=Herrera |first=Sandra |date=22 February 2023 |title=USWNT vs. Brazil score: USA win SheBelieves Cup with Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson dominating in attack |url=https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/uswnt-vs-brazil-score-usa-win-shebelieves-cup-with-alex-morgan-and-mallory-swanson-dominating-in-attack/live/ |access-date=23 February 2023 |website=CBS Sports |language=}}
Individual
- Pac-12 Conference Defender of the Year: 2018
- MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist: 2018
- NWSL Best XI: 2021,{{cite web |last1=Rantz |first1=Susie |title=Three OL Reign players named to NWSL Best XI |url=https://www.sounderatheart.com/seattle-reign/2021/11/17/22754251/ol-reign-nwsl-best-xi-second-le-sommer-fishlock-cook-balcer-huerta |publisher=Sounder at Heart |access-date=6 October 2022 |date=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=October 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008190220/https://www.sounderatheart.com/seattle-reign/2021/11/17/22754251/ol-reign-nwsl-best-xi-second-le-sommer-fishlock-cook-balcer-huerta |url-status=dead }}2022{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2022 |title=NWSL Announces Winners of Mastercard Best XI Awards |url=https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-announces-winners-of-mastercard-best-xi-awards |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=NWSL Soccer}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{sports links}}
- {{NWSL player|alana-simone-cook|Alana Cook}}
- [https://www.reignfc.com/alana-cook Alana Cook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227155837/https://www.reignfc.com/alana-cook |date=February 27, 2024 }} at Seattle Reign FC
- [https://en.psg.fr/teams/womens-team/squad/alana-cook Alana Cook] at Paris Saint-Germain
- [https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/alana-cook/14071 Alana Cook] at Stanford Cardinal
{{FC Kansas City squad}}{{Navboxes
| title = United States squads
| bg = white
| fg = #002868
| bordercolor = #BF0A30
| list1 =
{{United States squad 2022 CONCACAF W Championship}}
{{United States squad 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list1 =
{{Pac-12 Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year navbox}}
{{2021 NWSL Teams of the Year}}
{{2022 NWSL Teams of the Year}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Alana}}
Category:Paris Saint-Germain FC (women) players
Category:Expatriate women's footballers in France
Category:Sportspeople from Worcester, Massachusetts
Category:American expatriate women's soccer players
Category:Stanford Cardinal women's soccer players
Category:United States women's under-20 international soccer players
Category:United States women's international soccer players
Category:Women's association football defenders
Category:American women's soccer players
Category:Première Ligue players
Category:Seattle Reign FC players
Category:National Women's Soccer League players
Category:African-American soccer players
Category:21st-century American sportswomen
Category:21st-century African-American sportswomen
Category:2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Category:Soccer players from Massachusetts
Category:American people of English descent
Category:United States women's youth international soccer players