Rakel Karvelsson

Rakel Bjork Campbell is a former Icelandic-American professional footballer. Born and raised in the United States, she represented Iceland internationally. In 2000 she was named Icelandic Women's Footballer of the Year.

Early life

Rakel Bjork Karvelsson was born on 4 January 1977, in Panorama City, California, to Icelandic parents Ögmundur Karvelsson and Sigurlína Björgvinsdóttir. Her brothers, Ómar and Róbert, both played soccer.

Career

Karvelsson played college football for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1995 to 1998, and gained a reputation as a super sub. She started just 8 of her 102 appearances for the Tar Heels, but contributed 40 goals and 33 assists.
She was named Icelandic Women's Footballer of the Year in 2000. She made 10 appearances for the Iceland national team, scoring 7 goals. In the 2001 season, she played for the Philadelphia Charge of the Women's United Soccer Association, after a stint at Breiðablik in Iceland. She suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while in training for the 2002 season.

Personal life

Karvelsson attended McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia. She and her husband Lance Campbell, is a pharmaceutical executive who played soccer at Texas Lutheran University. They have four children; a son and three daughters. Cole Campbell, the eldest, is a professional football player, while two of the three younger children also play soccer. Her Icelandic name is Rakel Björk Ögmundsdóttir.