Raquel Rodríguez


Raquel "Rocky" Rodríguez Cedeño is a Costa Rican international soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League.

Early life

Born in San José, Costa Rica to Sivianni Rodriguez and Grettel Cedeño, Rodriguez was raised in Costa Rica and moved to the United States where support for women's soccer offered more opportunity. Her father, Sivianni Rodríguez, played professionally in Costa Rica with Herediano and the Costa Rica national football team.
Rodriquez began playing soccer at age four and played on boys teams and trained with her brother and father as a youth. At age 11, her cousin told her one of the well-known men's club teams was holding tryouts for a women’s team. After trying out, she played for the team's under-15 team. She played for the high school team while still attending elementary school. Both Raquel and her brother, Sivianni, attended International Christian School. She played for the school's team for a short while before committing to play for Costa Rica's national teams.

Penn State, 2012–2015

Rodriguez was a four-year starter for the Penn State Nittany Lions. As the 2015 team captain, she led her team to victory at the NCAA College Cup by scoring the game-winning goal against the Duke Blue Devils. Rodriguez received numerous awards in 2015, including NSCAA Scholar Player of the Year, Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year, and she was the 2015 recipient of the Mac Herman Trophy. As a senior, she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top soccer player.

Club career

Sky Blue FC, 2016–2019

Rodríguez was selected second overall by Sky Blue FC in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. In her rookie season, she scored 1 goal in 18 matches, and at the end of the season was named NWSL Rookie of the Year. In the 2017 season, Rodríguez scored the fastest goal in NWSL history, netting 24 seconds from kick-off against Portland Thorns FC.

Perth Glory, 2017

On 12 October 2017, Rodríguez joined Perth Glory for the 2017–18 W-League season. Rodríguez is the first Central American ever to play in the W-League.

Portland Thorns FC

On 8 January 2020, Rodríguez was traded to Portland Thorns FC.

International career

During the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Rodriguez scored Costa Rica's first ever Women's World Cup goal during the opening Group Stage match against Spain, which ended 1–1. Rodriguez played in all of Costa Rica's three matches in the tournament. During the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament, Rodriguez scored five goals in the three group stage matches.