The Players Who Skipped College to Play Pro Soccer This Year
In the past few years, there has been an exciting influx of female soccer players going straight to becoming professional soccer players, skipping the college-to-pro pipeline. The option to go pro has been appealing in recent years because of the stable salary increase and the opportunity to play against the best players in the world, including national team stars.
In the past year, we have seen incredible talent bring their skills to the professional pitch both abroad and in the NWSL. Within a year, it has been evident that women’s professional soccer continues to improve with each player growing every game.
Alyssa & Gisele Thompson
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The most recent young player to choose to advance to professional soccer rather than collegiate is Gisele Thompson. Originally committed to Stanford, Gisele announced her signing on December 7, 2023, to join her sister, Alyssa Thompson, at Angel City. It will be very exciting to watch Gisele grow and make an impact on the talented team.
Annie Karich
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Another recent player to be going pro is Annie Karich. Karich played two fantastic seasons with the Santa Clara Broncos as a holding mid. Karich will not be finishing her collegiate career but instead will be going to Germany to play with SC Freiburg Frauen.
Jaedyn Shaw & Melanie Barcenas
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The San Diego Wave have created an excellent environment to watch talented young women go pro. In fact, some of their top players signed with the Wave rather than attending college.
In 2022, they first signed Jaedyn Shaw. Most recently, in 2023, they signed Melanie Barcenas in March at the age of 15.
Chloe Ricketts
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Washington Spirit signed the youngest player to the NWSL, Chloe Ricketts, at 15 years old. The midfielder has made history with the three-year contract and her strength on the field.
Korbin Albert
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Korbin Albert, a new addition to the United States Women’s National team, announced her signing to Paris Saint-Germain after just two seasons with Notre Dame. She just had her first cap with the USWNT against China and continues to excel abroad with PSG.
Featured image via Getty Images
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