When Claire Hutton, the Kansas City Current's 18-year-old midfielder, scored her first professional goal at the start of August, head coach Vlatko Andonovski did not shy away from the hype that has swelled around the talented teenager throughout her rookie season. After watching her dart in behind the Tigres defense to receive a throw-in, take a gorgeous first touch to create a yard of space and then curl the ball over the goalkeeper from the corner of the box, he declared Hutton ready to represent the United States women's national team.
Though she has played just 20 senior matches, all in 2024, it's hard not to feel like that's where Hutton's trajectory can take her if all continues to unfold as it currently is. There has been a huge influx of talented teenagers into the NWSL since Olivia Moultrie’s ground-breaking debut in the summer of 2021, with the likes of Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson among those to make waves and, eventually, USWNT debuts after the league relaxed its age restriction rules. This year, though, there is no greater breakthrough story than Hutton, with the aforementioned Thompson the only teenager to have seen more game time in the NWSL in 2024 – and by just 15 minutes.
Maybe because she occupies the less glamorous role of a defensive midfielder, the youngster has not been grabbing headlines quite like other wonderkids from the last few years. But make no mistake, the Kansas City star is an incredible talent, one who looks destined to shine at the top level for years to come.