Josephine Elizabeth Valeri (born June 17, 2001) is an American professional soccer player and critical psychologist who plays as a full back and center back for A.P.G.M.S. Kalloni.
Career
Youth At age three, Valeri began playing soccer at the YMCA.
She also joined the Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA) at age seven and played through Seneca Valley School District. She participated in recreational soccer for SV North from ages four to six before playing on the highschool soccer and lacrosse teams as a freshman at age 14.
Alongside indoor, outdoor, and futsal on all-boys and all-girls recreational teams, Valeri played across PA Crew Soccer Club, Stars United SC, the Olympic Development Program, and Elite Clubs National League with the RDA from ages 12 to 16.
Valeri graduated in 2019 through Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School; she simultaneously took community college courses while continuing to play soccer. She committed to Point Park University (PPU) while playing with Century United.
University Beginning her studies in 2019, Valeri earned a Bachelor of Arts in Applied psychology in 2022, a Master of Arts in clinical-community psychology in 2023, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Critical psychology in 2025. She earned her doctorate while beginning to play professionally. Her dissertation, “The Potential Value of Humor During Cross-Cultural Adjustment,” was made available by ProQuest in May 2025.
Playing college soccer for PPU for five years, she made 50 appearances. She also scored one collegiate goal against Carlow University in River States Conference (RSC) play. Named to the RSC Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete Team from 2021–2023, Valeri also earned Defensive Player of the Week in October 2022.
During Valeri's time as a student-athlete, the women's soccer team shared the RSC regular-season title in 2021. She contributed to earning the top seed title for 3 consecutive years as the program added points to the university's RSC Commissioner's Cup. Amateur Valeri played across the pro-am leagues of WPSL and UWS for the Pittsburgh Hotspurs from 2021–23.
She also played semi-professionally with the St. Catharines Roma Wolves women's team in League1 Ontario, appearing in 16 matches for the 2023–24 season.
She also competed with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC USL Academy in 2024.
Professional From 2024–25, Valeri signed with a women's team of Mykonos in the Greek football league system. As an independent researcher, she published "The Infrapersonal: Intersubjectivity in the Digital Age" the same year in The Humanistic Psychologist, a journal in APA Division 32.
In January 2026, Valeri went to Group 1 of the Women's Beta Ethniki as a defender for the women's team of Veria NFC.
Ahead of the 2026–27 season, Valeri transferred to A.P.G.M.S. Kalloni in Kalloni, Lesvos. Sto Nisi profiled her move, documenting her professional soccer career alongside her PhD, which she earned from ages 23 to 24.
References