Kelsey Branson

Kelsey Alexandra Branson (born May 10, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Washington Huskies before starting her professional career with the Kansas City Current.

Early life

Branson was raised in San Diego, California, the daughter of Ali and Tim Branson, and has two siblings. Her mother played college soccer and her father played college rugby for the Santa Clara Broncos. She helped the team win their first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division title as a sophomore in 2020. She was named first-team all-conference every year and was named the CIF-San Diego Western League Player of the Year as the team's leading scorer and senior captain in 2022. She also played beach volleyball in high school. She played club soccer for San Diego Surf.

College career

Branson played in 16 games, starting 7, and scored 5 goals for the Washington Huskies as a freshman in 2022. In her senior year in 2025, she captained the Huskies to their first Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles, then reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals for the third time in program history. It was also a difficult season for Washington as she and the Huskies lost her close friend and teammate Mia Hamant to a rare form of kidney cancer. Branson started all 25 games and scored 5 goals, ranking third on the team in scoring, and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. On March 21, she signed her first professional contract with the club on a one-month injury replacement deal. She made her professional debut and lone appearance for Kansas City four days later, starting in a 3–0 defeat to the Seattle Reign.

Following her stint in Kansas City, Branson spent time with the Seattle Reign as a non-rostered trialist. On August 26, 2026, Branson was announced to have signed a one-month national team replacement contract with Seattle.

Honors and awards

Washington Huskies Big Ten Conference: 2025 Big Ten Conference tournament: 2025

Individual Third-team All-Big Ten: 2025 Pac-12 all-freshman team: 2022