| Esmeralda Negrón | |
| Birth Date: | 15 January 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Harrington Park, New Jersey, United States |
| Height: | 1.68 m[1] |
| Position: | Forward |
| Collegeyears1: | 2001–2004 |
| College1: | Princeton Tigers |
| Years1: | 2002–2012 |
| Clubs1: | New Jersey Wildcats |
| Years2: | 2005–2006 |
| Clubs2: | USCCO Compiegne[2] |
| Years3: | 2006–2007 |
| Clubs3: | FFC Brauweiler Pulheim[3] |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U-21 |
| Nationalteam2: | United States U-23 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2010 |
| Nationalteam3: | Puerto Rico |
| Nationalcaps3: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 6 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 1 August 2010 |
Esmeralda Negrón (born 15 January 1983) is an American-born Puerto Rican retired footballer and current coach. She has been a member of the Puerto Rico women's national team. She was voted the second greatest Princeton University female athlete of the decade (2000–2010) for her time leading Princeton University women's soccer team.[4] [5]
A native of Harrington Park, New Jersey, Negrón attended Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan.[6]
Princeton made the NCAA tournament in all four seasons Negrón was on the team, advancing to the second round in her freshman season of 2001. During her days at Princeton, Negrón scored 47 goals as part of her 112 career points, both Princeton records for both the men's and women's programs. The unforgettable season of 2004 saw Negrón score 20 goals with 12 assists for a total of 52 points, all Princeton single-season records, leading the Tigers to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship semifinals. She was a 2004 first-team All-America, a 2003 third-team All-America, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All-Ivy League selection. She won the von Kiensbusch Award her senior year as Princeton's top senior sportswoman.
Her Princeton career concluded with a record-breaking run to the NCAA Final Four in 2004 with then freshman teammate Diana Matheson, a member of the Canadian National Team.[7] [8] [9] No other any Ivy League team has ever reached the NCAA Final Four of a 64-team tournament.[10] [11]
Negrón played professionally for the New Jersey Lady Stallions and New Jersey Wildcats of the USL W-League.[12] [13]
During the summer of 2004, Negrón played internationally with the United States U-21 team in Iceland and was a member of the pool for the full U.S. National Soccer Team. However, in 2010, she played officially for Puerto Rico at senior level.
Scores and results list Puerto Rico's goal tally first
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 March 2010 | 2–0 | 7–0 | 2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying qualification | ||
| 2 | 6–0 | |||||
| 3 | 7–0 | |||||
| 4 | 13 May 2010 | 3–0 | 8–0 | |||
| 5 | 6–0 |
Negrón served as Assistant Coach for Seton Hall University and Princeton University women's soccer programs.[14] After serving as Assistant Coach during Princeton's second Ivy League perfect season and second-best NCAA appearance of reaching the Round of 32,[15] Negrón founded her own soccer training academy, Champions League Soccer Academy.[16]
In September 2020, Negron, along with sports media executive Hannah Brown,[17] launched ata football, a streaming platform focused on women's football. It was acquired by DAZN Group on August 15, 2023.[18]