Ellie Bravo-Young

Defender

HOMETOWN: Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA

HEIGHT: 5'7"

Ellie Bravo-Young, née Wheeler, joined the Kansas City Current in January 2024 as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft, signing a one-year contract with an option for 2025. On Aug. 27, 2024, Wheeler signed a four-year contract extension to keep her in Kansas City through the 2028 season.

Bravo-Young made an immediate impact from the start, scoring in her professional debut during the 2024 season opener at CPKC Stadium. Her strong rookie season featured 23 matches and 14 starts during the 2024 NWSL regular season, plus all five Summer Cup matches and two NWSL Playoff contests. She continued her upward trajectory in 2025 by making 15 starts in her 21 regular season appearances and recording a goal and her first NWSL assist at Portland on Aug. 23. Her first career playoff goal was in the quarterfinals on Nov. 9 vs. Gotham in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, marking the latest game-tying goal in regulation in NWSL Playoff history. The defender was a key piece in the Current winning the 2025 NWSL Shield and setting numerous regular season NWSL records including points (65), wins (21), consecutive wins (9), consecutive shutout minutes (869), shutouts (16) and consecutive shutouts (9).

From 2020-23, Wheeler played collegiate soccer at Penn State University where she was a four-year starter and helped her team win the 2022 Big Ten Championship. She appeared in 77 total matches during her stint in University Park and made 76 starts, totaling 6,430 minutes on the pitch in that span. Internationally, she has represented the U.S. at the U-17, U-19, and U-23 levels for various training camps. She played for the Under-19 team in a friendly tournament in Spain in 2020.