Michaela Kovacs

Michaela Dominique Kovacs (born March 9, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for A-Liga club Brøndby in Denmark. She played college soccer for the Michigan State Spartans and made her breakthrough with Damallsvenskan club KIF Örebro, being named the club's Player of the Year in 2022. She was then sold to Norwegian club Vålerenga in 2023, winning two league titles and two national cups.

Early life

Kovacs grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids. She attended Hudsonville High School and earned first-team all-state honors as a junior in 2014. She played club soccer for Grand Rapids Crew Juniors and captained the regional Olympic Development Program team. She also trained with the Grand Rapids Crew boys' team for several years.

College career

Kovacs played for the Michigan State Spartans between 2015 and 2019, appearing and starting in 72 games and scoring 7 goals. She returned to the field and missed just four games in her redshirt junior and senior seasons. She helped lead GRFC to the UWS championship, scoring a late equalizer in the semifinals, and was named championship MVP after the final victory.

Club career

Boavista After going unselected in the 2020 NWSL College Draft, Kovacs signed with National Premier Leagues Queensland Women's club Logan Lightning in February 2020, but did not go on to the final roster. Later in the year, she began her professional career in earnest with Portuguese top-flight club Boavista. She made her professional debut and played the full 90 minutes in a 7–0 loss to Braga on October 10. On December 19, she scored her first professional goal in her sixth and final appearance for Boavista, a 1–0 win over Gil Vicente.

Morön Kovacs joined Swedish club in the second-tier Elitettan for the 2021 season. She became a key player for the club operating as a center back or defensive midfielder. On August 7, she scored her first and only Elitettan goal to conclude a 3–0 win over Sundsvall.

KIF Örebro In November 2021, Kovacs signed a two-year contract with Swedish top-flight club KIF Örebro. She scored her first goal for the club in an 8–0 win over Jitex in the Svenska Cupen on March 13, 2022. She scored her first Damallsvenskan goal three minutes into a 4–2 win over Kalmar on May 8. For her contributions, she was named the club's Player of the Year for the 2022 season.

Vålerenga In July 2023, after a lackluster start to the season, KIF Örebro sold Kovacs to Norwegian club Vålerenga, where she signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. She made her club – and Toppserien – debut in a 5–1 win over Åsane on August 26. She raised her first professional trophy at the end of the season when Vålerenga won their second league championship.

On May 25, 2024, Kovacs scored her first professional brace in a 4–1 league win over Åsane. On September 18, she scored her first continental goal – and was handed her first career red card – in a 2–1 win over Anderlecht in Belgium in the Champions League second qualifying round. She made her full Champions League debut against Arsenal on October 16, playing the entirety of the 4–1 loss. Vålerenga retained the league title in dominant fashion with 24 wins from 27 games.

On September 11, 2025, Kovacs scored her tenth career goal for Vålerenga in a 3–0 win over Hungarian club Ferencváros in the Champions League third qualifying round; a 5–1 aggregate win put the club into the tournament proper for the second year in a row. Vålerenga finished the league season as runners-up to Brann but won their second consecutive Norwegian Women's Cup, with Kovacs playing the entire 2–0 win over Rosenborg again in the final.

Birmingham City

In January 2026, Kovacs signed with Women's Super League 2 club Birmingham City for the rest of the season.

Brøndby In July 2026, it was announced that Kovacs had moved to A-Liga club Brøndby on a 1.5-year deal until the end of the 2027 season.

International career

Kovacs was first called into training camp with the United States under-19 team in May 2015. In June 2016, she played in a friendly for the under-19s against the New Zealand women's team.

Personal life

Kovacs is nicknamed "Mouse".

Honors and awards

Grand Rapids FC United Women's Soccer: 2017

Individual KIF Örebro Player of the Year: 2022 United Women's Soccer Championship MVP: 2017