Maddie Dahlén

In April 2025, at 20 years and 267 days, Maddie Dahlien scored in the Cascadia derby against Portland Thorns — the second-youngest player ever to do so in that fixture.

Before that, the numbers came in bulk. At Edina High School in Minnesota she scored 92 goals and added 43 assists, and was named Star Tribune Athlete of the Year and Minnesota Miss Soccer across 2021 and 2022. She moved on to Minnesota Thunder Academy, the state's only ECNL side, and was named an All-American there in 2021.

College reshaped her role. Over three seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels she played 65 matches, scoring seven and setting up 13. In 2024 she led the team in assists with seven, made third-team All-ACC, and finished the year with the NCAA national championship — the programme's 23rd. She had made the ACC All-Freshman team in 2022 and the conference's academic team twice.

Seattle announced her on 8 January 2025 on a deal through the 2027 season, one of the first signings the club made after the NWSL abolished its draft. In that first year she finished second in the league for shots on target, with ten, and second for passes into the box, with 14 — behind Barbra Banda in both. She was a finalist for NWSL Rookie of the Year, an award that went to Lilly Reale.

With the United States under-20s she scored six times in 15 matches, including group-stage goals against Morocco and Paraguay at the 2024 World Cup, where the team took bronze. Her senior debut came on 24 January 2026 against Paraguay, on as a substitute at 6-0.