Meggie Dougherty Howard

Megan "Meggie" Dougherty Howard (born July 27, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Calgary Wild FC of the Northern Super League (NSL). She previously played for Angel City FC, San Diego Wave FC, Orlando Pride, and Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Early life Raised in Largo, Florida, Dougherty Howard attended St. Petersburg Catholic High School where she played soccer as a freshman and senior. As a senior, she captained the team to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A regional final and was named to the All-Pinellas County first team by the Tampa Bay Times. In 2011, she attended the U.S. under-15 national team camp.

Club career In 2015 and 2016, while still in college, Dougherty Howard played for Washington Spirit Reserves in the W-League and in the Women's Premier Soccer League. Her team won the W-League title in 2015 and the Women's Premier Soccer League East Conference in 2016. In 2015, she was named to the W-League All-League Team.

Washington Spirit (2017–2020) In 2017, Dougherty Howard was selected in the third round (29th overall) of the 2017 NWSL College Draft by Washington Spirit. She was signed to the team on March 12 and made her professional debut on April 22 as a 67th minute substitute for Kristie Mewis in a 1–1 draw with Orlando Pride. She scored her first goal as a rookie on August 4, 2017, in a 4–1 victory over Sky Blue FC. Following the 2017 season, she was one of three finalists for NWSL Rookie of the Year.

Orlando Pride (2021–2022) On December 24, 2020, Dougherty Howard was traded along with two first-round picks and $140,000 in allocation money to Orlando Pride in exchange for Emily Sonnett. She made her debut for the club on April 10, 2021, starting and assisting both goals in a 2–2 draw with Racing Louisville in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup opening round.

San Diego Wave FC (2023) On January 12, 2023, Dougherty Howard signed a two-year contract as a free agent with San Diego Wave FC. During the 2023 season, she made 12 appearances for the club, including 8 starts. They were defeated by OL Reign in the semi-finals of the NWSL Playoffs.

Angel City FC (2024) In January 2024, Dougherty Howard was acquired by Angel City FC in exchange for $40,000 in allocation money ahead of the 2024 season. She made her debut for Angel City on March 17, 2024 in a match against Bay FC. Dougherty Howard recorded her first assist for Angel City on August 24, 2024, in an away match against her former club San Diego Wave FC to help secure a 2–1 victory. Dougherty Howard scored her first goal for Angel City on September 14, 2024, Angel City's only goal in a 2–1 away loss to Racing Louisville FC. At the conclusion of the season, Dougherty Howard became a free agent, and on December 10, 2024, Angel City announced that they would not be signing a new contract with Dougherty Howard.

Calgary Wild FC (2025) In February 2025, Dougherty Howard was signed to the Calgary Wild FC in the Northern Super League for the inaugural season. On April 16, 2025, Dougherty Howard started in the club's first ever match and the league's inaugural game, a 1-0 loss to Vancouver Rise FC. Dougherty Howard scored her first goal with the club in the sixth minute of a 4-1 victory over Halifax Tides FC on April 26, 2025. She made her first assist with the Wild in the following game on May 1, 2025, in a 2-1 loss to AFC Toronto. On August 21, 2025, it was announced that she had signed a contract extension with the Wild to keep her with the team through the 2028 season, with Dougherty Howard saying that "From the get-go, the Club recognized the experience and leadership skills that I am able to bring to this relatively young team. I didn’t know I was going to be Captain, but I was very honoured to be trusted with that title. It is a position I take a lot of pride in". At the end of the 2025 season, she was named to the league's Team of the Season.

International career In November 2011, Dougherty Howard was called up to the United States under-15 team. The following month she was part of the 20-player roster that won the U23 Nordic Tournament. In January 2017 Dougherty Howard was again called up to the under-23 team, the first camp of the year that included a mixture of top players from the U.S. youth teams, elite college players and four NWSL players. It was overseen by senior team head coach Jill Ellis to evaluate players for potential senior call-ups.

Career statistics .

Honors Florida Gators Southeastern Conference regular season: 2013, 2015 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament: 2015, 2016

Individual USL W-League All-League team: 2015