Sam Coffey: 10 things you may not know | OneFootball

Sam Coffey is officially a Manchester City player!

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Coffey: City stood out from the start

The United States international has become the Blues’ first January signing with the decorated midfielder penning a deal which will keep her at the Joie Stadium until the summer of 2029.

She arrives with one of the fastest growing reputations in world football thanks to her fantastic displays both on a domestic and international setting, earning numerous honours in the process.

Find out more about our new midfielder below!

COLLEGIATE CLASS

City’s newest recruit enjoyed an illustrious collegiate soccer career when playing for Boston College between 2017 and 2018 before her time with Penn State between 2019 and 2021.

During her time with the latter, Coffey helped them to three successive NCAA DI Tournament appearances while winning the Big Ten Conference Championship in 2019.

Her collegiate honours also include being a 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy semi-finalist and 2018 (ACC) and 2020 (Big Ten) Midfielder of the Year, as well as becoming the 50th player in NCAA DI history to tally 40 goals and assists.

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DEBUT DELIGHT

Coffey was a second-round draft pick by the Portland Thorns in the 2021 NWSL College Draft but chose to conclude her collegiate career before penning her maiden professional contract.

After doing so ahead of the 2022 season, she then helped the Thorns to an historic third NWSL Championship.

What’s more, her performances also earned her spot among the finalists for the division’s NWSL Rookie of the Year award and a place in the NWSL Best XI.

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EARNING HER STARS AND STRIPES

A moment for Coffey to savour came on 6 September 2022 when she earned her fist senior cap for the United States senior national team.

Selected to start in midfield against Nigeria, she went on to play the full 90 minutes of the friendly as her nation secured a 2-1 victory.

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Coffey: City can help me maximise every bit of my potential

CHILDHOOD

Coffey grew up in Sleepy Hollow, New York which has been used as a setting for media works including films, games, literature, motion pictures, and television productions.

In literature, Sleepy Hollow is the setting of Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820), with famous adaptations including the 1999 horror film featuring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken and Michael Gambon.

INTERNATIONAL ACCOLADES

Coffey arrives at City 18 months on from winning a Gold Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with the United States.

The defensive midfielder played five out of her nation’s six assignments in France and played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 final triumph over Brazil.

It represented her fourth tournament victory with Emma Hayes’ side having helped the US to the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in 2022 before SheBelieves Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup glory in 2024.

RECOGNITION

In the prestigious ESPN best women’s players for 2025, Coffey was placed 28th in their list of the finest operators around the globe.

It represented the first time she was included in the rankings and, among her new City teammates, the 26-year-old was only behind Yui Hasegawa and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw.

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Coffey continues City’s fine US legacy

REPORTERS

Coffey is part of a long list of artists and creators in her family with her father and sister both sportswriters.

Her father Wayne was formerly of The New York Daily Times, and her sister Alex currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sam, too, has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and could see the profession as a future career after retirement, telling gopsusports.com in November 2020: “Writing, other than playing soccer, is one of my favourite things to do.

“Just the history it has in my family, specifically sports writing, I would love to do that in any way shape or form after I am done playing.”

STYLE OF PLAY

Not only have those familiar with Coffey’s game become accustomed to her combative and dominant displays from defensive midfield, but she has also gained a reputation for tucking her shirt in and wearing a scrunchie head band.

She revealed on the U.S soccer podcast in November 2025 how the style was initially an accident when returning to the field after warming up ahead of a senior national team game in Los Angeles.

Since then, she’s made it her trademark thanks to her colossal displays in the engine room.

Coffey said: “I think it’s just an old-school style which suits me as I’m a bit of an old soul. I have loved it, maybe it’s a bit controversial with people saying it looks awful.

“Well, it’s just out of my way.”

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Another of Coffey’s passions away from the field is playing the piano with music a large part of family life growing up.

“Growing up, my grandfather actually went to and studied at Juilliard, and he taught my mum piano so she grew up playing piano.

“Music was also a huge part of my upbringing. My mum specifically felt very adamant that we didn’t just do a sport. Sport and music and being well-rounded, and having other things we were interested in.

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“That was maybe more most important to me growing up maybe compared to my other siblings because soccer became everything.

“So having something else I was doing that I could also channel that competitive energy because it got real out there with piano. It wasn’t just that I was playing for fun, even though I love to play.

“I had a really quite strict teacher growing up and if I didn’t practice or my piece she would know, and I would hear about it. I would do these competitions called NYSMMA [New York State School Music Association].

“They were New York state competitions where you’d go in and perform a piece, and they’d give you a piece to perform on the spot to play in front of four judges when I was 12.”

Six

By joining Manchester City, Coffey has become only the sixth player from the United States of America to represent the Blues.

The 27-year-old has followed the path trodden by fellow countrywomen to the Joie Stadium in Daphne Corboz, Carli Lloyd, Abby Dahlkemper, Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis.