Payton Linnehan
Payton Elizabeth Linnehan is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League. She played college soccer for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was drafted by the Portland Thorns in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Early life
Linnehan was raised in Douglas, Massachusetts, the daughter of Sheri and Sean Linnehan. She started playing youth soccer when she was about five years old. Linnehan played club soccer for FC Stars of Massachusetts starting at age 12. She attended Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, playing two years for the soccer team before choosing to focus on club soccer.
College career
Linnehan played for the Penn State Nittany Lions from 2019 to 2023. She recorded 34 goals and 24 assists in 90 games. She was named the most outstanding offensive player of the 2019 Big Ten tournament after scoring the golden goal in the final. She scored two hat tricks at Penn State: one in the first half of a 2021 match against La Salle and another against Central Connecticut in the first round of the 2023 NCAA tournament.
Club career
Portland Thorns
The Portland Thorns chose Linnehan with the 11th pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft. She signed for a two-year contract with a mutual third-year option. She scored 90 seconds into her first start for the Thorns on May 1, 2024, and added an assist to Sophia Smith five minutes later to help beat Bay FC 3–2.
On August 30, 2025, the Thorns traded Linnehan to the North Carolina Courage in exchange for $48,000 in intra-league transfer funds. North Carolina signed her to a new contract through 2027 with a mutual option for 2028. The following day, Linnehan made her club debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Tyler Lussi in a 2–0 loss to the Kansas City Current. On September 13, she recorded her first Courage start and first assist in a 2–1 win over Angel City FC.
International career
Linnehan played on the United States national under-15, under-17 and under-23 teams. She won the Golden Boot of the 2016 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship as the top scorer of the tournament.