FC KANSAS CITY ANNOUNCES FIRST ADDITIONAL PLAYER SIGNING

Iron Woman Defender Is First Player Signed

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS – FC Kansas City announced today the signing of midfielder Jen Buczkowski to the 2024 Inaugural Season Roster.  Buczkowski is one of the first four players signed through the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Additional Player signing period.  Buczkowski signed a league contract on February 4th, per league and team policy, terms of the contract are not disclosed.  She joins an already talented roster including seven players allotted from the U.S., Canadian and Mexican National Teams and four players drafted in the NWSL Collegiate Draft last month.

Jen Buczkowski Position: Midfield Height - 5’5” College: Notre Dame Hometown: Elk Grove Village, IL

 

“I’m very excited to come to Kansas City,” said Buczkowski.  “I think the staff has done a good job putting together the team there with a good group of girls.  I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Team President Brian Budzinski is thrilled with the team’s first signing, “Jen is a veteran and a leader both on and off the field.  This is somebody whom we targeted from day one, and we are fortunate to have a player of her caliber on our roster. Jen’s strong presence in the midfield will go a long way to solidify what we believe is one of the stronger midfields in the NWSL.”

Jen Buczkowski (Booze-kow-ski) has been a national name in U.S. Soccer for quite some time.  She played three seasons at Elk Grove High School in Illinois, leading her team in scoring every year and accumulating 190 career points.  After being named the 2024 Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year she began to focus on her national team career.  She was a two-year starter for the U-19 U.S. National Team before joining the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2024.

At Notre Dame, Buczkowski played in every game of her collegiate career, setting the school record for most career games with 103.  Her freshman year saw her as the team’s third leading scorer and second in the Big East in assists.  She continued her success throughout her four years in South Bend, being named an NSCAA All-American three times and twice being one of the final fifteen candidates for the Hermann Award.

Buczkowski was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 WPS College Draft by the New Jersey Sky Blue.  She led the Sky Blue to the league’s Inaugural Championship that season, playing in every minute of the playoffs.  The following season she was selected by the Philadelphia Independence in the WPS Expansion Draft.  She appeared in 41 games for the Independence over two seasons and won the league’s “Iron Woman” award in 2024 for playing in every minute of her team’s season.  A strong leader, she helped guide the Independence to the WPS Championship game in both seasons.