Chinyelu Asher


Chinyelu Bessum Asher is an American-born Jamaican footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Jamaica women's national team.

Early life

Chinyelu Asher started playing football at age 9, was taught how to play by her father, Kevin Asher, who is Jamaican. Asher ran track and cross country throughout high school, making repeated appearances to Nationals and Junior Olympics. Simultaneously, Asher played with Freestate United and would play in her school's boys' team during trainings.

College career

Between 2011 and 2013, Asher played for the Purdue Boilermakers. She later transferred to Louisville Cardinals in 2014.

Club career

Asher joined BIIK-Kazygurt in 2016 and played 7 matches of the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League. She later joined :es:Independiente Santa Fe Femenino|Santa Fe, where her team won the 2017 season and post-season tournament and played all games in the 2017 Copa Libertadores Femenina. In 2018, Asher was invited to attend preseason and was a non-roster player for Washington Spirit. Asher joined Stabæk in January 2019.

International career

Although born in the United States, Asher qualified to represent Jamaica through her father, who is Jamaican. Asher made her debut with the Jamaica U-20 in 2012 during the 2012 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. Asher made her senior debut in the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship qualification, on August 25, 2015 versus the Dominican Republic.
Asher was selected for Jamaica's 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup squad. She made her World Cup debut during the team's first group stage match against Brazil in Grenoble.

International goals

Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1
25 August 2015Estadio Panamericano, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
7–0
13–0
2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship qualification
2
11 May 2018Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1–0
3–0
2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship qualification
3
23 July 2018Estadio Moderno Julio Torres, Barranquilla, Colombia
1–0
2–1
2018 Central American and Caribbean Games
4
2 September 2018National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica
1–0
6–1
2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship qualification
5
2 September 2018National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica
6–0
6–1
2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship qualification

Personal life

Asher's mother is Cameroonian and father is Jamaican and played soccer collegiately at Howard University. Asher has an older brother named Daniel Asher, who played soccer at Saint Leo University. Asher is the second youngest of five siblings.