Madison Pogarch

Madison Pogarch
Pogarch with the Portland Thorns in 2022
Personal information
Full name Madison Pogarch
Date of birth (1997-11-05) November 5, 1997
Place of birth Hartland, Michigan, United States
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position Left back
Team information
Current team
 Hammarby
Number 5
Youth career
Michigan Jaguars
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2017 Central Michigan Chippewas 58 (3)
2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 20 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Grand Rapids FC 13 (2)
2018 Detroit Sun 6 (2)
2019–2022 Portland Thorns 28 (0)
2022–2023 San Diego Wave 22 (1)
2024–2025 Utah Royals 43 (0)
2026– Hammarby 0 (0)
International career
2019 United States U23
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 03:10, November 3, 2025 (UTC)

Madison Pogarch (/ˈpoʊɡɑːrʃ/ POE-garsh;[1] born November 5, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left back for Damallsvenskan club Hammarby. She previously played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for the Portland Thorns, San Diego Wave, and Utah Royals. She played college soccer for the Central Michigan Chippewas and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

College career

Pogarch played three years of collegiate soccer at Central Michigan University of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), where she was a two-time all-MAC performer and First Team All-MAC in 2017.[2] She completed her education at Rutgers University in 2018 where she started all 19 matches.[3] She was voted Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on October 9, 2018, after playing every minute in two Big Ten overtime wins, both shutouts.[4]

Club career

While in college, Pogarch played as an amateur with senior semi-pro teams over the summer. She helped Grand Rapids FC to a United Women's Soccer championship in 2017, scoring the only goal of the game in an early win at Fort Wayne. She then played for Detroit Sun in 2018.[5]

Portland Thorns FC

Pogarch was signed by the Portland Thorns in early May 2019.[6] She made her first appearance for the team on May 25 in a game against Sky Blue FC and had her first start a few weeks later, on June 15 against the North Carolina Courage.[7]

San Diego Wave FC

On July 25, 2022, the Thorns announced that the club had traded Pogarch to San Diego Wave FC in exchange for defender Tegan McGrady.[8]

Utah Royals

On December 7, 2023, the Utah Royals announced that the club had signed Pogarch as a free agent through the 2025 season.[9]

Hammarby

On January 6, 2026, Damallsvenskan club Hammarby announced that they had signed Pogarch to a two-year contract.[10]

International career

In August 2019, she was named to the US Women's U-23 team to compete in the 2019 Nordic Tournament.[5][11]

Personal life

Pogarch married fellow NWSL player Christen Westphal on December 10, 2025.[12]

Honors

Portland Thorns FC

San Diego Wave

References

  1. ^ "PTFC At-Home Skills with Madison Pogarch". YouTube. April 1, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Madison Pogarch – Women's Soccer". Central Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Madison Pogarch – Women's Soccer". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Maryland and Rutgers Earn Weekly Women's Soccer Awards". Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  5. ^ a b O'Connor, Larry. "Hartland's Madison Pogarch named to U.S. women's U23 squad". Detroit News. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (May 8, 2019). "Portland Thorns sign Charley, Ogle and Pogarch to supplemental roster, waive Onumonu and Weber". oregonlive.com. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  7. ^ National Women's Soccer League. "Madison Pogarch". www.nwslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "Thorns FC acquire defender Tegan McGrady from San Diego Wave FC in exchange for defender Madison Pogarch" (Press release). Portland Thorns FC. July 25, 2022. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "Utah Royals Signs NWSL Free Agent Madison Pogarch" (Press release). Utah Royals. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  10. ^ "Madison Pogarch till Bajen" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  11. ^ Thorns FC Communications (August 21, 2019). "Thorns FC's Madison Pogarch named to U.S. U-23 Women's National Team roster for 2019 Nordic Tournament". Portland Thorns FC. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  12. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  13. ^ Snipes, Tyler (August 22, 2021). "The Portland Thorns are WICC Champions!". International Champions Cup. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "San Diego Wave claim 2023 NWSL Shield". CONCACAF. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
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