Maycee Bell

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Maycee Bell

| image = NC Courage vs Gotham FC (Mar 2024) 031.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Bell with Gotham FC in 2024

| full_name = Maycee Nicole Bell

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2000|09|18}}

| birth_place = Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

| height = 5 ft 11 in

| position = Center back, right back

| currentclub = North Carolina Courage

| clubnumber = 27

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Sporting Blue Valley

| collegeyears1 = 2019–2023

| college1 = North Carolina Tar Heels

| collegecaps1 = 77

| collegegoals1 = 7

| years1 = 2024

| clubs1 = NJ/NY Gotham FC

| caps1 = 8

| goals1 = 1

| years2 = 2024–

| clubs2 = North Carolina Courage

| caps2 = 2

| goals2 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2017–2018

| nationalteam1 = United States U-19

| nationalcaps1 = 2

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2018–2020

| nationalteam2 = United States U-20

| nationalcaps2 = 8

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| medaltemplates =

| club-update = September 21, 2024

| nationalteam-update =

}}

Maycee Nicole Bell (born September 18, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where she was named All-ACC four times. She was selected by NJ/NY Gotham FC in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft. She represented the United States at the youth international level.

Early life and college career

Bell was born in Wichita, Kansas, to former college basketball players Brett and Kristy Bell, and has five younger siblings.{{cite web |url=https://goheels.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maycee-bell/24511 |title=Maycee Bell – Women's Soccer |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletics |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She began playing soccer as a forward but was converted to center back at her first youth national team training camp in 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.kansas.com/sports/varsity-kansas/varsity-soccer/article288375820.html |title=Wichita native Maycee Bell enjoying budding women's soccer stardom in NWSL for Gotham FC |last=Eldridge |first=Taylor |date=May 7, 2024 |newspaper=The Wichita Eagle |access-date=May 11, 2024}} She said she "realized I loved stopping people from scoring more than I actually loved scoring" and modeled her game partly after national team defender Becky Sauerbrunn.{{cite news |url=https://www.allforxi.com/2024/3/22/24108232/maycee-bell-is-taking-it-day-by-day-with-gotham-fc |title=Maycee Bell is taking it 'day by day' with Gotham FC |date=March 22, 2024 |first=Kudzi |last=Musarurwa |website=All for XI |publisher=SB Nation |access-date=April 24, 2024}}

Bell played one year of high school soccer as a freshman at Trinity Academy, scoring 19 goals at forward in 14 games, and was named Kansas's Gatorade Player of the Year for 2015–16.{{cite news |url=https://usatodayhss.com/2016/gatorade-kansas-girls-soccer-poy-maycee-bell |title=Kansas Girls Soccer POY: Maycee Bell |date=May 17, 2016 |website=USA Today High School Sports |access-date=January 6, 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.kansas.com/sports/high-school/article79283262.html |title=Girls soccer quarterfinals: Injury-depleted Derby fights on |last=Eldridge |first=Taylor |date=May 23, 2016 |newspaper=The Wichita Eagle |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240107004336/https://www.kansas.com/sports/high-school/article79283262.html |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |url-access=subscription}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.kansas.com/sports/varsity-kansas/article162461673.html |title=State girls soccer: Trinity Academy reaches semifinals even with absence of state's best player |last=Eldridge |first=Taylor |date=May 26, 2016 |newspaper=The Wichita Eagle |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240107004334/https://www.kansas.com/sports/varsity-kansas/article162461673.html |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |url-access=subscription}} She moved to the Kansas City area to play year-round with ECNL club Sporting Blue Valley, which she captained from 2014 to 2017, and attended Blue Valley Southwest, Blue Valley West, and Insight School of Kansas. Bell moved to North Carolina in her senior year to play for the North Carolina Courage Academy and would train with the Courage first team during her college off-seasons.{{cite news |url=https://www.nccourage.com/news/maycee-bells-return-spotlights-connection-between-courage-and-ncfc-youth/ |title=Maycee Bell's return spotlights connection between Courage and NCFC Youth |last=Schnittker |first=Nicholas |date=September 12, 2024 |publisher=North Carolina Courage |access-date=November 17, 2024}}

=North Carolina Tar Heels=

Bell started for the North Carolina Tar Heels from her first week in 2019, when she was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Week.{{cite news |url=https://theacc.com/news/2019/8/27/womens-soccer-pitts-west-uncs-bell-earn-acc-player-of-the-week-honors.aspx |title=Pitt's West, UNC's Bell Earn ACC Player of the Week Honors |date=August 27, 2019 |publisher=Atlantic Coast Conference |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She scored a career-high three goals as a freshman, including one in the ACC tournament final and one during the NCAA tournament, where the team finished runners-up.{{cite news |url=https://theacc.com/news/2019/11/10/north-carolina-wins-acc-womens-soccer-championship-in-double-overtime.aspx |title=North Carolina Wins ACC Women's Soccer Championship in Double Overtime |date=November 10, 2019 |publisher=Atlantic Coast Conference |access-date=January 6, 2014}}{{cite news |url=https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/29/womens-soccer-tar-heels-persevere-to-advance-to-29th-college-cup |title=Tar Heels Persevere To Advance To 29th College Cup |date=November 29, 2019 |last=Lohse |first=Dave |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletics |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She was named ACC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-ACC.{{cite news |url=https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/7/womens-soccer-bell-dorrance-win-major-acc-awards |title=Bell & Dorrance Win Major ACC Awards |date=November 7, 2019 |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletics |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She was named to the All-ACC first team for fall 2020, and she recovered from ankle surgery to return in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament that spring.{{cite news |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/soccer-women/article/2021-09-03/fully-healthy-north-carolinas-maycee-bell-ready-stanford-again-another-ncaa-title |title=Fully healthy, North Carolina's Maycee Bell is ready for Stanford (again), another NCAA title run |date=September 3, 2021 |last=Bode |first=Natalie |publisher=National Collegiate Athletics Association |access-date=January 6, 2024}}

Bell was named first-team All-ACC and second-team All-American as a junior in 2021, though she injured her left ankle in the second-to-last match of the regular season.{{cite news |url=https://goheels.com/news/2021/11/4/womens-soccer-five-tar-heels-earn-all-acc-honors |title=Five Tar Heels Earn All-ACC Honors |date=November 4, 2021 |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletics |access-date=January 6, 2024}}
{{cite news |url=https://goheels.com/news/2021/12/10/womens-soccer-three-tar-heels-earn-postseason-accolades |title=Three Tar Heels Earn Postseason Accolades |date=December 10, 2021 |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletics |access-date=January 6, 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.unc.edu/posts/2021/10/25/dorrance-womens-soccer-capture-900th-program-win/ |title=Dorrance, women's soccer captures 900th program win |date=October 25, 2021 |publisher=University of North Carolina |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She sat out her senior year after tearing her meniscus in the first game of the 2022 season.{{cite news |url=https://goheels.com/news/2022/8/26/womens-soccer-unc-defender-maycee-bell-to-miss-reaminder-of-the-season |title=Women's Soccer Defender Maycee Bell To Miss Remainder Of The Season |last=Jones |first=Jody |date=August 26, 2022 |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletics |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She returned for a fifth year to co-captain North Carolina as a redshirt senior and was named to the All-ACC second team in 2023.

Club career

=Gotham FC=

Reigning NWSL champions NJ/NY Gotham FC selected Bell with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, their sole pick of the night.{{Cite web |title=2024 NWSL Draft |url=https://www.nwslsoccer.com/nwsldraft |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115195113/https://www.nwslsoccer.com/nwsldraft |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |access-date=February 14, 2024 |publisher=National Women's Soccer League}} She was signed to a three-year contract.{{Cite web |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Gotham FC Signs Defender Maycee Bell to Multiyear Contract |url=https://www.gothamfc.com/news_article/show/1300245-gotham-fc-signs-defender-maycee-bell-to-multiyear-contract |access-date=February 14, 2024 |publisher=NJ/NY Gotham FC |language=en-us}} On March 15, she made her professional debut as a substitute in the NWSL Challenge Cup, a 1–0 loss to the San Diego Wave.{{cite news |url=https://skyscraperblues.com/posts/gotham-fc-falls-san-diego-wave-nwsl-challenge-cup |title=Gotham FC falls to the San Diego Wave in the NWSL Challenge Cup |last=Chale |first=Caitlyn |website=Skyscraper Blues |publisher=Minute Media |date=March 15, 2024 |access-date=April 24, 2024}} She made her first regular-season appearance on April 20, coming in for Bruninha in a 2–1 away defeat to the Washington Spirit.{{cite news |url=https://www.gothamfc.com/news_article/show/1307681 |title=Match Recap: Gotham FC Falls 2–0 to Washington Spirit |date=April 20, 2024 |publisher=NJ/NY Gotham FC |access-date=April 24, 2024}} She earned her first start on May 8, taking Bruninha's place in a 1–0 win against the Houston Dash.{{cite news |url=https://skyscraperblues.com/posts/gotham-fc-secures-1-0-win-against-houston-dash |title=Gotham FC secures the 1-0 win against the Houston Dash |last=Vairo |first=Paulina |date=May 8, 2024 |website=Skyscraper Blues |publisher=Minute Media |access-date=May 11, 2024}} On June 19, she scored her first professional goal in late stoppage time against the San Diego Wave, finishing off Jenna Nighswonger's cross to secure a 2–1 victory.{{cite news |url=https://deadspin.com/maycee-bell-lifts-gotham-past-wave-in-2nd-half-stoppage-time/ |title=Maycee Bell lifts Gotham past Wave in 2nd-half stoppage time |date=June 20, 2024 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=Deadspin}} She started four games in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, helping Gotham advance to the final. In half a season with Gotham, she made 13 appearances (7 starts) and scored 1 goal in all competitions.{{Soccerway}}

=North Carolina Courage=

On August 21, 2024, Gotham FC traded Bell to the North Carolina Courage for $80,000 in allocation money and $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds.{{cite news |url=https://www.nccourage.com/news/courage-acquires-former-unc-standout-maycee-bell/ |title=Courage acquires former UNC standout Maycee Bell |date=August 21, 2024 |publisher=North Carolina Courage |access-date=August 21, 2024}} She debuted for her former youth club on September 8, substituting late for Felicitas Rauch in a 4–1 win against the San Diego Wave.{{cite news |url=https://www.nccourage.com/news/recap-courage-rides-wave-4-1-sunday/ |title=Recap: Courage rides Wave, 4-1, Sunday |date=September 8, 2024 |publisher=North Carolina Courage |access-date=November 17, 2024}} She finished her rookie season having made 2 substitute appearances for the Courage.

International career

Bell trained with the United States youth national team beginning at the under-16 level in 2014. She scored for the under-20 team in a friendly in March 2019 and recorded an assist at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, which the United States won.{{cite news |url=https://www.soccerwire.com/news/u-s-u-20-womens-national-team-ends-la-manga-event-on-high-note/ |title=U.S. U-20 Women's National Team ends La Manga event on high note |date=March 14, 2019 |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |via=SoccerWire |access-date=January 6, 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2020/02/u20-uswnt-advances-to-knockout-stage-of-world-cup-qualifying-with-4-0-win-vs-dominican-republic |title=U-20 USWNT Advances to Knockout Stage of World Cup Qualifying With 4-0 Win Vs. Dominican Republic |date=February 24, 2020 |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |access-date=January 6, 2024}} She received her first call-up with the senior national team in December 2019 but had to miss the camp due to injury.{{cite news |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/11/andonovski-names-24-player-roster-for-uswnt-december-identification-training-camp-in-florida |title=Andonovski Names 24-Player Roster For U.S. Women's National Team December Identification Training Camp in Florida |date=November 27, 2019 |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |access-date=January 6, 2024}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2020/02/five-things-to-know-about-the-2020-concacaf-womens-u20-championship |title=Five Things to Know About the 2020 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship |date=February 20, 2020 |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |access-date=January 6, 2024}}