Washington Spirit

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

The other young girl who went pro for Angel City was over hyped too. I'm very interested to see what they do with her contract. AC continue to lose and will not make the playoffs again. LA was supposed to be "THE" franchise in the league. Riley Tiernan from Rutgers was totally passed over and only got an opportunity because of injuries and coaching connections and went into that team and took over.

Angel City is just a mid club that is glazed constantly because of it's ownership group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

The other young girl who went pro for Angel City was over hyped too. I'm very interested to see what they do with her contract. AC continue to lose and will not make the playoffs again. LA was supposed to be "THE" franchise in the league. Riley Tiernan from Rutgers was totally passed over and only got an opportunity because of injuries and coaching connections and went into that team and took over.

Just for us that aren't up to all things NWSL, who are you talking about? As pro players, I think it's ok to mention their name. There's a huge risk at signing these young players to pro contracts - and the ages just seem to get younger and younger - Mak Whitman signed with Gotham when she was only 13! Now 15 and playing with the U17 USYNT team, but still. That's a big reach, IMO. Plus there's a young women, Stella Spitzer, playing with Carolina Ascent in the USL Super League that is about the same age. Not sure what the end game is with these really, really young players.

Not quite the equivalent but the NBA went through this when there was all the rage to draft kids directly out of HS. There were quite a few that didn't live up to expectations- anyone remember Kwame Brown from the Wizards. Of course, he made it through 12 years in the NBA and made almost $64 million so I wouldn't mind having his under achieving career. LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

The other young girl who went pro for Angel City was over hyped too. I'm very interested to see what they do with her contract. AC continue to lose and will not make the playoffs again. LA was supposed to be "THE" franchise in the league. Riley Tiernan from Rutgers was totally passed over and only got an opportunity because of injuries and coaching connections and went into that team and took over.

Just for us that aren't up to all things NWSL, who are you talking about? As pro players, I think it's ok to mention their name. There's a huge risk at signing these young players to pro contracts - and the ages just seem to get younger and younger - Mak Whitman signed with Gotham when she was only 13! Now 15 and playing with the U17 USYNT team, but still. That's a big reach, IMO. Plus there's a young women, Stella Spitzer, playing with Carolina Ascent in the USL Super League that is about the same age. Not sure what the end game is with these really, really young players.

Not quite the equivalent but the NBA went through this when there was all the rage to draft kids directly out of HS. There were quite a few that didn't live up to expectations- anyone remember Kwame Brown from the Wizards. Of course, he made it through 12 years in the NBA and made almost $64 million so I wouldn't mind having his under achieving career. LOL.

The best comp -- and why it is happening -- is that male players can and have signed pro contracts as teenagers and Olivia Moultrie successfully sued over it to join the Portland Thorns, making that very point. She seems to be the most successful of all these younger players -- although also has played the longest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

[Anonymous]

Meanwhile Spirit are on fire! Team is deep and clicking together

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

The other young girl who went pro for Angel City was over hyped too. I'm very interested to see what they do with her contract. AC continue to lose and will not make the playoffs again. LA was supposed to be "THE" franchise in the league. Riley Tiernan from Rutgers was totally passed over and only got an opportunity because of injuries and coaching connections and went into that team and took over.

Just for us that aren't up to all things NWSL, who are you talking about? As pro players, I think it's ok to mention their name. There's a huge risk at signing these young players to pro contracts - and the ages just seem to get younger and younger - Mak Whitman signed with Gotham when she was only 13! Now 15 and playing with the U17 USYNT team, but still. That's a big reach, IMO. Plus there's a young women, Stella Spitzer, playing with Carolina Ascent in the USL Super League that is about the same age. Not sure what the end game is with these really, really young players.

Not quite the equivalent but the NBA went through this when there was all the rage to draft kids directly out of HS. There were quite a few that didn't live up to expectations- anyone remember Kwame Brown from the Wizards. Of course, he made it through 12 years in the NBA and made almost $64 million so I wouldn't mind having his under achieving career. LOL.

Angel City player is Kennedy Fuller. They have a tough decision to make on her if they want to win. Reilly Teirnan came in and is already the face of the team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

Then she would have not gotten a second contract. She's ahead of all those college players. Someone who is professional soccer talent evaluator is betting she'll keep developing and be a valuable player. As a previous poster said, the current Spirit is strong and deep. This is professional sports. Some talented players make it, some don't. No one seems to be throwing the Thompson sisters any shade for going pro before most do. There are now multiple pathways for women pros. They don't have to play college OR live in a system where you have pay-to-play for ALL of their teen years. Who's really the smarter ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

Then she would have not gotten a second contract. She's ahead of all those college players. Someone who is professional soccer talent evaluator is betting she'll keep developing and be a valuable player. As a previous poster said, the current Spirit is strong and deep. This is professional sports. Some talented players make it, some don't. No one seems to be throwing the Thompson sisters any shade for going pro before most do. There are now multiple pathways for women pros. They don't have to play college OR live in a system where you have pay-to-play for ALL of their teen years. Who's really the smarter ones?

You are obviously invested for some reason. She has none of the projected talents of Rodman, Thompsons or any of those players. She was a total whiff and I'm sure the NWSL will do everything to try and keep her around because she was so young. She will get multiple opportunities. It won't matter. Same result coming.

[Anonymous]

The younger player isn't Fuller, rt? She's done fine at ACFC.

I'd assume the younger player is Casey Phair - who was loaned out to some team in Sweden. She never got many minutes at ACFC, but Fuller has and will continue to grow in the league (IMO).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The younger player isn't Fuller, rt? She's done fine at ACFC.

I'd assume the younger player is Casey Phair - who was loaned out to some team in Sweden. She never got many minutes at ACFC, but Fuller has and will continue to grow in the league (IMO).

I was the one who asked the question - I too thought Casey Phair when I looked at the lineup and saw she is on loan to the Swedish team. Thought Fuller was doing ok.

Agree though that Riley Tiernan is doing really well. Looks like a great signing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

Then she would have not gotten a second contract. She's ahead of all those college players. Someone who is professional soccer talent evaluator is betting she'll keep developing and be a valuable player. As a previous poster said, the current Spirit is strong and deep. This is professional sports. Some talented players make it, some don't. No one seems to be throwing the Thompson sisters any shade for going pro before most do. There are now multiple pathways for women pros. They don't have to play college OR live in a system where you have pay-to-play for ALL of their teen years. Who's really the smarter ones?

You are obviously invested for some reason. She has none of the projected talents of Rodman, Thompsons or any of those players. She was a total whiff and I'm sure the NWSL will do everything to try and keep her around because she was so young. She will get multiple opportunities. It won't matter. Same result coming.

Yeah, that could happen. She may never see many minutes. But she may also still succeed. The only whiff is to make the assumption that she won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

Then she would have not gotten a second contract. She's ahead of all those college players. Someone who is professional soccer talent evaluator is betting she'll keep developing and be a valuable player. As a previous poster said, the current Spirit is strong and deep. This is professional sports. Some talented players make it, some don't. No one seems to be throwing the Thompson sisters any shade for going pro before most do. There are now multiple pathways for women pros. They don't have to play college OR live in a system where you have pay-to-play for ALL of their teen years. Who's really the smarter ones?

She’s ahead of all college players is a wild take. You should watch more college soccer.

Ricketts wasn’t even the best player in her age the last 2 years in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

Then she would have not gotten a second contract. She's ahead of all those college players. Someone who is professional soccer talent evaluator is betting she'll keep developing and be a valuable player. As a previous poster said, the current Spirit is strong and deep. This is professional sports. Some talented players make it, some don't. No one seems to be throwing the Thompson sisters any shade for going pro before most do. There are now multiple pathways for women pros. They don't have to play college OR live in a system where you have pay-to-play for ALL of their teen years. Who's really the smarter ones?

You are obviously invested for some reason. She has none of the projected talents of Rodman, Thompsons or any of those players. She was a total whiff and I'm sure the NWSL will do everything to try and keep her around because she was so young. She will get multiple opportunities. It won't matter. Same result coming.

Yeah, that could happen. She may never see many minutes. But she may also still succeed. The only whiff is to make the assumption that she won't.

Have you watched her play? She was a sub for her national team age group against terrible concacaf competition and looked overwhelmed. The entire thing is a publicity stunt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chloe Ricketts starts and should be credited with a goal

Glad she is on the field and playing well now.

Choe Ricketts contract was not renewed by the Washington Spirit. Sad to see how she was advised by parents and adults around her. Her options going forward are limited and she is 18.

Why are her options limited? What's preventing her from signing with another team or going international? Your view seems limited.

The obvious thing limiting her options is that the Spirit didn’t think she was good enough to offer her a contract. That’s after watching her up close for years. International is a possibility or maybe the other local pro team DC Power. Is college still an option or did she become ineligible when she signed a pro contract.

She can go to college. She can't play for a college soccer team.

I’ll bet her parents are wishing they just kept her in school. Could have gone to a top college with a nice soccer scholarship.

Like many soccer parents they were told and believed she was better than she actually was. But my daughter is different.

This player is still on the Spirit roster, practicing and did play, score a goal in that match against the Central American club ... Yes, she's not starting/second string but she clearly got game for a young player. We should wish her well wherever she lands next.

Ricketts traded to Houston for the rest of the year and then goes to Boston to try and play for a new NWSL team next year.

Still in NWSL. Seems like probably still better than college -- with money in her pocket and with experience far ahead of all her peers.

I would disagree. She was way to young to make this decision and live on her own. Maybe she's happy as can be and made some decent money, I have no idea...I'm just coming at this as a parent. Not playing at all, generally sits the bench and is only rostered because it's in her contract until she turns 18 so the Spirit had no choice. Now that they had a choice she got dumped for a 15K transfer fee and will move to Houston for a month for 2 games that she probably won't play in...though it looks like Houston is out of the playoffs, so maybe she'll get some minutes. Then moves to Boston to join the new team hoping to start over. I did watch her play on her age group national team and she was not very good against girls her own age. It's impossible to project players, but this was a total whiff by all involved. She is very small, completely out of her depth and while this is a harsh opinion, that's what I think.

She doesn't live on her own. She's been living with family who collectively supported her decision to go after her dream -- which continues. Any player can find themselves on the bench at any level, including college, be for injury or change in coaches (which both happened at the Spirit). From an FAQ on her website from when she started her pro contract:

"What about college? She`s going to miss out on a college scholarship and the whole college experience.

"It was a lengthy decision to choose the professional path but in the end, that`s been Chloe`s objective ever since she started playing soccer. She won`t get a "scholarship" but college will be paid for nonetheless. What if she got hurt in college and that end her dream completely. Chloe plays with a lot of highly developed technical skills and can play at the professional level now... so why not?

"After she graduates high school (which she`s taking on-line now), she`ll attend college on-line like so many students do today even if they have the choice between on-line and brick and mortar. Both her brother and sister attend "regular" college and each only have one class with a "classroom"."

She barely played however many years she was here. None of your on-line class comparisons can compare to her playing in the ACC for a couple of years and developing in so many ways while she was still a kid. The top ACC teams can compete if not beat some of these NWSL team. Hype her all you want. She's tiny and has not developed (she doesn't play). I'm sure she is a wonderful kid and happy with her decision. That's not the point I'm making.

It's not hype that she played/practiced with some of the best players in the world and made some money doing it, including an endorsement deal and got to be a fan favorite. What would the alternative have been? Paying to play club and your own way to travel until now when she'd just be a freshmen in college? Before signing, she already had played USL (scoring goals and doing well) and played for many top GA and ECNL clubs. I think the thinking was there wasn't anything more for her at those levels. And she is playing on her age USYNT. Someone said she's not measuring up but she's out there competing and getting minutes. Why is it a disappointment if someone isn't dominating?

So, yeah, she didn't really break through on the Spirit but she hasn't washed out of the league yet, either, and has another opportunity to become a regular in the top women's pro league. I think it's too soon to say it's a cautionary tale or failure.

Not sure why you are defending a decision that is a blatant fail from a soccer perspective. Total marketing stunt. Do you realize the NWSL is expanding and bringing in international players and how many good young players that are coming out of college next year? The women's EPL is exploding...the NWSL needs to compete...she has little to no chance of being a regular in any professional league that pays real dollars.

Then she would have not gotten a second contract. She's ahead of all those college players. Someone who is professional soccer talent evaluator is betting she'll keep developing and be a valuable player. As a previous poster said, the current Spirit is strong and deep. This is professional sports. Some talented players make it, some don't. No one seems to be throwing the Thompson sisters any shade for going pro before most do. There are now multiple pathways for women pros. They don't have to play college OR live in a system where you have pay-to-play for ALL of their teen years. Who's really the smarter ones?

She’s ahead of all college players is a wild take. You should watch more college soccer.

Ricketts wasn’t even the best player in her age the last 2 years in the DMV.

Then those kids maybe are missing out. Maybe they should try to sign with the NWSL instead of college. Seems like there are plenty of spots with expansion. College isn't for everybody. Not sure why all the push back is needed. Kid did well for herself and is talented and followed her dreams. She wouldn't be on the U20 team if she wasn't OR still playing in the pros.