Kate Markgraf

Kate Markgraf

Personal information
Full name	Kathryn Michele Sobrero
Date of birth	August 23, 1976 (1976-08-23)
Place of birth	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Chicago Red Stars
Youth career
1991-1994	Detroit Country Day School
1995-1998	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001-2003	Boston Breakers	51	(0)
2005	KIF Örebro DFF	8	(1)
2006-2009	Michigan Hawks	27	(1)
2010-	Chicago Red Stars	6	(0)
National team‡
1998-2010	United States	201	(1)
Teams managed
2009-	Marquette Golden Eagles (Assistant coach)
Honours Competitor for United States Women's Football (soccer) Silver 2000 Sydney Team Competition Gold 2004 Athens Team Competition Gold 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 July 2010

Kate Markgraf (née Kathryn Michele Sobrero, born August 23, 1976 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan), is an American soccer defender and was a member of the U.S. women's national team.

Early life

Markgraf, who is five feet, nine inches (1.75 m) tall, attended Detroit Country Day School and was a volleyball player, making the All-League team three times. In soccer, she made the NSCAA All-American team one time and was chosen for the All-State team three times.

Career

Early career

At Detroit Country Day, she helped to guide the soccer team to the state title in 1991, scoring 16 goals and having 26 assists. Markgraf attended University of Notre Dame and graduated with a degree in science and business. She was a three time NSCAA All-American while there, was a three time all Big East selection, the 1997 Big East defensive player of the year, and the defensive MVP of the NCAA's Final Four in 1995, the year in which her team won the NCAA women's soccer championship.

Professional career

She was a member of the Boston Breakers in the WUSA league, and she was named defender of the year for that team in 2001. Markgraf played professionally for KIF Örebro in the Swedish league alongside longtime USA teammate Kristine Lilly. She was scheduled to play with the Chicago Red Stars in WUSA's successor, Women's Professional Soccer, in its inaugural 2009 season. However, the Red Stars announced in January 2009 that she would not play that season because she was expecting her second child.

International career

In 1998, she played with U.S. when they faced the national selection of Argentina. Markgraf (then Sobrero) was the youngest member of the team that won the Women's World Cup in 1999, and also participated in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and the 2004 Games in Athens. The team won the silver medal in 2000 and the gold in 2004. On July 13, 2010, after nearly a two year break from international competition, she made her 200th career international appearance, in a friendly against Sweden. She became the 10th woman in FIFA history to earn her 200th cap, a mark no male player has reached. She subsequently announced her retirement from international play during halftime of the final 2011 Women's World Cup qualifying match against Italy on November 27, 2010.

Broadcasting

Markgraf was paired with Adrian Healey as a color commentator on ESPN's secondary broadcast team for the telecasts of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Personal life

She married Chris Markgraf, a former Providence College soccer player, on October 31, 2003. Their son, Keegan Jamison Markgraf, was born on July 18, 2006. In July 2009, she gave birth to boy/girl twins, Carson and Xavier. Markgraf lives with her husband and their children in the Chicago area.

Coaching career

She works since 2009 as Volunteer Assistant Coach by the Marquette Golden Eagles.

External links

• Kate Markgraf – FIFA competition record
• Kate Markgraf at the Internet Movie Database