What's The Impact of Pay To Play Model In US?

Pay To Play Is harmful to American Soccer

The "pay-to-play" model in American youth soccer refers to a system in which young players and their families are required to pay fees to participate in organized soccer programs, typically through clubs or academies. This model has been scrutinized lately from a number of notable players like Alex Morgan on the development of soccer in the United States. We tend to side with Alex on this. Look at the pro’s and con’s of the pay for play model.

Positive Impacts:

1. Access to Resources: Pay-to-play clubs often provide resources and coaching that can help young players develop their skills. These clubs may have well-maintained facilities, experienced coaches, and access to tournaments and competitions that can be beneficial for player development.

2. Structured Development: Pay-to-play clubs can offer structured and organized development pathways, with teams at different skill levels. This can help players progress and improve their abilities.

3. Competition: Pay-to-play programs often feature competitive leagues and tournaments, which can help players test their skills and improve by playing against strong opponents.

Negative Impacts:

1. Barriers to Entry: The most significant drawback of the pay-to-play model is that it creates financial barriers for many young players and their families. The cost of participation, including club fees, travel, equipment, and other expenses, can be prohibitive for some.

2. Limited Diversity: The pay-to-play model often results in a lack of diversity in the sport, as it disproportionately affects lower-income communities. This can limit the talent pool and overall diversity in soccer.

3. Talent Development Gap: Many talented players may be excluded from the system due to financial constraints, limiting the talent pool from which top players can be identified and developed.

4. Pressure on Young Athletes: The financial investment required in the pay-to-play model can put a lot of pressure on young athletes and their families. There is a risk of focusing more on financial commitment than player development.

5. Inequality: The model can reinforce inequality within youth soccer, as players from affluent families may have access to better coaching and resources, creating disparities in opportunities.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the need to address the issues associated with the pay-to-play model in American soccer. Efforts are being made to reduce financial barriers, increase accessibility, and create pathways for talented players from all backgrounds to participate and succeed in the sport. Initiatives such as scholarship programs, grassroots development, and community-based soccer have aimed to make the sport more inclusive.

It's important to note that the impact of the pay-to-play model can vary depending on the specific club, region, and age group. Overall, addressing the challenges associated with this model is a priority for those looking to promote soccer development in the United States like Team Give & Go, who is trying to make the sport more accessible to a wider range of young players.

The Importance of Diversity In Soccer

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world, with millions of people playing and watching it every day. It is a sport that brings people together, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or nationality. However, despite its universal appeal, soccer has struggled with issues of diversity and inclusivity, particularly at the youth level in America.

The importance of diversity in soccer cannot be overstated. Diversity brings different perspectives, experiences, and skills to the game, making it more exciting, dynamic, and innovative.

It also helps to break down barriers and stereotypes, promoting acceptance and understanding among players and fans alike.

One of the key benefits of diversity in soccer is the ability to tap into a wider range of talent. By embracing players from different backgrounds, teams can access a wealth of skills and abilities that might otherwise be overlooked. This not only makes the game more competitive but also helps to create a more level playing field, where players are judged on their merits rather than their race, gender, or nationality.

In addition, diversity in soccer opens up new markets and audiences, helping to grow the sport and reach new fans around the world. By showcasing players from different backgrounds, soccer can become a truly global sport, appealing to people of all ages, races, and cultures.

However, despite the many benefits of diversity, soccer still faces significant challenges in promoting inclusivity and equality. Issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia continue to plague the sport, both on and off the field. In order to truly embrace diversity, soccer must work to address these issues head-on, through education, training, and policy changes.

Overall, the importance of diversity in soccer cannot be overstated. By embracing players from all backgrounds and promoting inclusivity and equality, soccer can become a truly global sport, appealing to people of all ages, races, and cultures. It is up to all of us - players, fans, coaches, and administrators - to work together to make this vision a reality.

GAME RECOGNIZES GAME - DO YOU?

Lately, we’ve been getting many questions from parents and players about how players rankings work. How are these players truly being analyzed and evaluated? What we do know is that there isn’t a true science to it. Sometimes it’s just by a few biased eyeballs or the player fits the profile. Other times, it ‘s just the amount of news articles a player can generate. (For example: Got an article mentioning your call up to the US National Team Camp? You just might go from the unknown to top 10) Believe it or not, some of these articles are parent generated. Is this fair? Does this mean this player is the best player? Who’s to say? But this is what you get in a pay to play system that is paid for by parents. Ask any good coach and they’ll tell you. Give me 10 mins and I’ll be able to identify the best players on the pitch. The eye test never lies.

This got us to thinking. Since there isn’t a true evaluation method being implemented, and the U.S. doesn’t have a grass roots system - why don’t we just hear from the players themselves. I mean, they are the ones competing, working hard, and grinding it out against some of the top players in their conference and national events.

So, TG&G wants to know… who is the toughest/best player you’ve played against? We’ll compile this information and let the soccer community know at the end of the 22 2023 season. We’re looking for nominations in age groups U15, U16, and U17. We’ll cover defenders, forwards, midfielders and goalies. So who are they? WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU?

Nine Steps to Marketing Your Student Athlete

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soccer player

It may sound cliché, but we have all heard that it is not what you know, but who you know.  While many of us Generation X parents are likely tired of hearing this within the workforce, unfortunately, the same logic applies true to sports and we must embrace this concept if our student youth athletes want to expand their careers beyond high school.

By the end of this article, it is my hope, that as parents, we are all more knowledgeable of things we can do to assist our student athletes with their marketability within this competitive sports arena.

Some reading this may think that marketing youth athletes is too premature and unnecessary.  But guess what, our student athletes will be just one of hundreds and in some cases thousands applying for soccer scholarships or trying to get noticed for their chance on a professional team.  If we as parents, and our student athletes cannot speak on their accomplishments, nobody else will.  Let’s face it, coaches deal with hundreds of athletes at any given time. They don’t have the time or desire to promote every athlete that plays for them. Let’s be honest, coaches also have their favorites and if your athlete is not trending to the top, they will likely get overlooked in the discussions.

Think of it this way, on the job, we must have that five second elevator speech on who we are, what we do and how our contributions have impacted the organizations we work for. Our goal, at Team Give & Go, is to help you think about that elevator speech for your student athlete.  May be a little longer than five seconds, but the concept remains the same.  So, let’s begin….

1.    Don’t be afraid to let the coaches and scouts know how amazing your student athlete is. Caveat….they must be able to back it up on the field, because actions still speak louder than words.

2.    Ensure your student athlete is excelling in the classroom.  You’ll notice that I reference student athlete throughout this article.  They are students first, athletes, second.  The combination of good grades and skills on the soccer field will make them highly marketable for any college or university.

3.    Have your student athlete craft a summary of their accomplishments and accomplishments of their teams. Knowing team statistics, goals, assists, shut-outs, will help make your student athlete more marketable.  Also, list any honors received while on the team or participating in the club.

4.    Capture video.  If you’re like me, you’re often too involved in the game to think about capturing video, but content is the best form of self-promotion, particularly now that social media sites like IG and Twitter have become the self-promotion platforms. If you’re unable to do it yourself, identify someone who enjoys capturing video and ask them to assist you. 

5.    Get recommendation letters from coaches, camps that they have attended and parents of teammates.  This provides first hand testimony from someone other than you.  You might find that other teammate parents may be hesitate to provide a note promoting your child. If this is the case, don’t worry, most teams have at least 15 players and I’m sure there is one who understands the ocean is large and there is enough space for us all to swim. 

6.    Utilize the video content that you gather (as noted in #3) and put together a short video compilation that showcases your student athlete.  This can become a quick reference when reaching out to recruiters and coaches.

7.    Understand and align on you and your student athlete’s end goal.  Make sure the goal is coming from the player and not the parent.  Aligning on what you’re really trying to accomplish will help craft your approach, keeping your specific objectives in mind. Knowing what to ask for and when to ask for it will be key.

8.    Don’t oversell. Be confident, but be truthful. Again, action speaks louder than words. If you over sell, and your student athlete can’t live up to the expectations, you will likely damage your integrity and your positioning of your student athlete.

9.    Create a brand for your student athlete and be consistent. What does your student athlete represent? Hard work, superiority, offense, defense, all-around, balance?  Understand the key attributes of your student athlete and use those attributes consistently in your messaging and content.

 When in doubt, reach out to Team Give & Go at tlynn@teamgiveandgo.com  for more information and assistance with marketing your student athlete.  We’re all in this together with an end goal of building a world of diverse and dynamic soccer players.

Author: T. Lynn Jones

What kind of scholarship offer can I get?

What are the Different Types of Offers I Could Get?

One of the first surprises for many student-athletes and their families is the disappointingly low number of full-ride athletic scholarships available. What may be just as surprising are the many different types of offers athletes can actually receive from a school. To better understand the basics of athletic scholarship offers, here are a few key facts you should know:

• Most offers are typically one-year agreements. Although multi-year offers are becoming more popular, they are still rare.

• Verbal offers from a coach are not binding agreements.

• The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a legal binding contract between an athlete and the school. Since it is a contract, it is important that you fully understand the agreement.

Hopefully, knowing these terms will give you a better understanding of the offers you may receive. Let’s take a quick look at the most common offers a student-athlete may receive from college and universities.

Insider tip: Read What Verbal Offers and Commitments Really Mean for Your Athlete

Full-ride scholarship offer

Full-ride athletic scholarships are only available in six college sports:

• Football

• Men’s Basketball

• Women’s Basketball

• Women’s Gymnastics

• Tennis

• Volleyball

These are known as head count sports that create revenue for the school. A full ride covers the major costs of attending college like tuition, room and board, books, and some course fees. The term “full ride” doesn’t mean for the “full four years.” Full ride scholarships, like all offers, are one-year agreements that may or may not be renewed.

Partial scholarship offer

The remaining sports or “equivalency sports” in NCAA Division I and II are where coach essentially have a pool of scholarship money that they can divide up amongst their team. While not a full ride, a partial scholarship offer can still cover a significant portion of college costs or very little. It may be that one student-athlete on a team gets a scholarship that covers tuition, while a teammate may only get offered a scholarship that covers the costs of books.

As a response to COVID-19, NCAA D1 Council adopted legislation that loosened regulation regarding need-based aid and academic scholarships that are not tied to athletic ability. Starting August 1, 2020, teams in equivalency sports will not have any athletes’ need- and academic-based aid count against the maximum athletic scholarship limit. Prior to this update, athletes had to meet certain criteria for their additional aid to not be counted against a team’s athletic scholarship limit.

Teams will still have a maximum athletic scholarship cap, but student-athletes can seek to stack as much need-based aid and academic scholarships on top of their athletic scholarship as they qualify for. With school and family budgets being impacted by the coronavirus, this rule change should allow sports programs that have available funds to extend more money to families and athletes that need it—especially at pricier private colleges.

While a partial scholarship might not be enough to compensate for an athlete’s financial needs, NCSA’s Senior Recruiting Manager David Kmiecik shares how student-athletes can leverage scholarship offers and find additional resources to cover the cost of college.

Are Ivy League or Top-50 colleges on your target list? CollegeAdvisor.com offers 1-on-1 guidance from admissions experts to strengthen your college applications and boost your chances of admission.

Preferred walk-on offer

Not all offers come with a monetary reward. Sometimes, the reward is simply a spot on the roster. Walk-ons are far more common in college sports than most families and student-athletes realize. It’s important to understand the distinctions between the different types of walk-ons as you navigate the recruiting process.

A preferred walk-on offer means the coach would like you on the team but cannot (or won’t) offer any financial assistance at least for the first year. Preferred walk-ons can earn a scholarship going into their second season, but nothing is guaranteed. Some student-athletes will turn down scholarship offers at smaller schools to play for a bigger program as a preferred walk-on.

Do preferred walk-ons sign on signing day?

Technically, preferred walk-ons don’t have anything to sign on Signing Day, as they aren’t receiving an athletic scholarship. However, walk-ons are an essential part of a successful team, and college coaches want to celebrate their signing, as well. Ask your future coach about having something to sign, especially if your school is throwing a Signing day party. Don’t forget to rep your new school with some gear!

Recruited walk-on offer

A recruited walk-on offer means there is interest from the coach but no financial assistance and you must still earn a spot on the team through additional try outs or summer training camp. Although there is no financial assistance or even a guarantee of making the team, some student-athletes still view a recruited walk-on offer as a great opportunity to be play at the highest level of competition.

Unrecruited walk-on offer

Typically, this is when a student-athlete qualifies for admission to the school and plans to join the team through an open tryout. In this scenario, there is usually a conversation with the college coach prior to enrollment to confirm the student-athlete will be able to try out for the team.

There is a lot to consider with any type of walk-on offer. This is especially true if you have scholarship offers from other schools.

Read more: The 5 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Being a College Walk-On

The multi-colored shirts of college sports

While “redshirt” may be a familiar term to many student-athletes and their families, there are actually a number of different shirt color terms that designate a student-athlete’s eligibility status. The color also shows how a coach sees a recruit contributing to the program in both the short-term and long-term.

Redshirt scholarship offer

Typically, a redshirt athlete will have a scholarship but cannot compete for one year. They will participate in all team activities like practice, training, and receive benefits such as academic tutoring, but they will not see any playing time. However, they will get an opportunity to play four seasons in five years. Reasons for being redshirted include a coach wanting a year to physically prepare an athlete for college competition, or a chance for a student-athlete to recover from an injury. An “academic” redshirt would be a freshman who may not meet the academic eligibility requirements coming out of high school.

Grayshirt scholarship offer

This is one of the more challenging offers from a college coach. A grayshirt is an incoming college freshman who postpones enrollment for a semester. Instead of enrolling right away in the fall, a grayshirt freshman enrolls in classes for the second term (winter) of freshman year. During their first semester of college, a grayshirt does not enroll as a full-time student. Instead, they only take part-time classes. A grayshirt also does not join the team, practice with the team or receive a scholarship during their first, part-time semester.

The NCAA allows student-athletes five years to complete four years of sports eligibility after enrolling, so this means a grayshirt NCAA athlete officially starts their athletic eligibility once they enroll full-time. Most coaches try to be clear about extending grayshirt offers, but some committed student-athletes have been surprised to learn they have been grayshirted as National Signing Day nears.

What is grayshirting in college football? A grayshirt college football player can play in the season a full year after they graduate high school, instead of starting practice competing in games right away. This is most often done at college programs that over-sign, meaning that they sign more student-athletes than they have room for on the roster. Grayshirting helps college programs sign athletes early, with the intention of having them actually join the team in the next season.

Sometimes, injuries and roster changes can mean grayshirt status can be rescinded and an athlete will be offered a roster spot earlier than expected. But it’s important to have clear and open communication with college coaches about your role on the roster and the possibility of being grayshirted.

Blueshirt scholarship offer

Blueshirting is becoming a more popular (but hardly common) way to creatively manage the number of athletic scholarships. Blue shirt rules allow for unrecruited players to be awarded a scholarship at the start of freshman practice. Like a redshirt, they will practice with the team but won’t be allowed to play for a year. This allows a team that may have too many commits to essentially borrow against their next year’s scholarship total. The rules are rather strict in regard to what is defined as being “unrecruited.” That means there was

• No official visit

• No in-home coach visit

• No signed National Letter of Intent

• No form of athletic aid

Given the recruiting restrictions, it is still a pretty rare occurrence for a student-athlete to be considered for a blueshirt scholarship offer.

Greenshirt scholarship offer

More and more fall sport athletes are getting a jump on their college careers by graduating in December and enrolling a semester early. The benefits to greenshirting include the chance to get ahead on classes, attend spring training and practice with your new team while on scholarship before the new fall season. Student-athletes who greenshirt are allowed to play their first year but the can also redshirt and have five years to play four seasons.

Beyond NCAA DI and DII

Statistics will tell you that only two percent of high school athletes receive athletic scholarships. Student-athletes and their families who may have had their heart set on playing for a D1 or D2 program should take a closer look at D3, NAIA, and even junior colleges for financial incentives.

While NCAA DIII schools cannot offer athletic scholarships, 80 percent of D3 athletes receive some type of financial aid. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) reports that its athletes receive on average $7,000 in financial aid. And in the often-overlooked world of junior college athletics, the National Junior College Athletic Association offers full and partial scholarships at more than 500 colleges.

Insider tip: Despite the impact that coronavirus had on college sports, as of June 1, 2021, the NCAA resumed its regular recruiting rules and activity! Coaches are actively working to fill their rosters, so student-athletes should be proactive in reaching out to coaches. Read up on how the extra year of eligibility granted to athletes who were most affected by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 will impact future recruiting classes.

repost from NCSA

New Season Mean New Goals

A new season is here for you to shine. We’re looking to award your best efforts. Submit your stats, and grades this season so we can acknowledge your play on the pitch and in the classroom. Good Luck!

Black Soccer In North America.

Great round table discussion sponsored by MLS. #BlackHistoryMonth

Gilbert (Gil) Heron - The First Black U.S. Soccer Player Remains Forgotten.

Gilbert (Gil) Heron was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 9th April 1922. As a schoolboy in the Caribbean, Heron excelled at track and field defeating Herb McKenley, who would go on later to become a 400m sprint world record holder and compete at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, winning one gold and three silver medals. As well as athletics, he played cricket, the national sport of the West Indies. Heron, aged 15, led his Jamaican school, St George’s, to victory in the Manning Cup, contested among schools in the Corporate Area (comprising the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew and most of St. Catherine)

In Heron’s later teenage years he moved to Canada. The young Jamaican played football and continued to compete in athletics, including long jump, high jump and sprinting, as well as taking up ice hockey. In 1940, at the age of 18, Heron became Golden Gloves welterweight champion of Michigan, and later enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Older brother, Roy Trevor Gilbert Heron, served with the Norwegian Merchant Navy during World War II and then joined the Canadian army, later becoming active in black Canadian politics.

In Detroit Heron took a job in an auto plant to make ends meet. Heron continued to play football after moving to America and became the first black person to play professionally in the United States was the only black player in US professional football at the time. In 1946, he signed for Detroit Wolverines, who played in the short-lived North American Professional Soccer League, which they duly won in its inaugural season, with Heron scoring 15 goals in eight games. Though Heron was the league’s top goal scorer that year he was paid only 25 dollars a game compared with the 100 dollars a game paid to white player Pete Matevich, who scored far fewer goals than Heron.

Considering the United States did not have a truly national league until the late 1960s, crowds of 2,000-4,000 were respectable by the US standards of the time. Despite getting paid less than his teammates Heron was drawing personal acclaim with his performances. In a 1947 profile, Ebony magazine described Heron as the ‘Babe Ruth of soccer.’ With reference to the sports roots in England the article said “The ancient Old-World game of soccer boasts a New-World star.”

As Heron’s performances continued to raise acclaim he was selected on the US’ All Star team the year after the Ebony magazine profile. This led to the striker transferring to Detroit Corinthians, who played in the larger American Soccer League.

In the 1950s Glasgow Celtic had a history of making lengthy American tours and doing some scouting at the same time. The goalkeeper Joe Kennaway was an earlier product of this strategy. One of Celtic’s scout must have been at a Detroit Corinthians game as the Scottish giants did not play Heron’s club on their 1951 tour. Regardless of the exact circumstances Heron was invited to Scotland for a public trial. The game was a success as the Jamaican scored twice at Celtic Park.

Heron’s performance convinced Celtic sign him and therefore become the first black player to play the Scottish club Celtic, and the first to play professionally in Scotland. Heron told a Scottish newspaper upon signing in 1951 “Gee, I was tickled, Glasgow Celtic was the greatest name in football to me.”

His impact was instant as he scored on his debut on 18 August 1951 in a League Cup tie against Morton that Celtic won 2–0. As he had done in Detroit, Heron was making a positive impression on the media in Britain. “Right now, he is Scottish football’s Golden boy” said one newspaper. Another claimed “fifty thousand supporters hail him as the greatest thing seen at Celtic Park since goalposts.”

Heron was competing for the centre-forward role with John McPhail, a Celtic hero of the era. As former athlete in his youth, his extraordinarily pace led supporters to give Heron the nickname ‘Black Flash’.

As well as gaining recognition at club level Heron won a place on the Jamaica Football Association XI, which in 1952, played a series against the Caribbean Combined XI, which featured Trinidad star Delbert Charleau. Heron was a truly multi-talented sportsman and also excelled at cricket, having played growing up in the West Indies, and while in Scotland competed professionally for leading Glasgow clubs while resident in the city.

Despite a successful club debut and rave reviews in the press Heron struggled to fit into manager Jimmy McGrory’s lineup, which included legendary performers such as Sean (Iron Man) Fallon, Bobby Evans, John McPhail, Bertie Peacock, Charlie Tully and Jock Weir. Heron scored 15 times in 15 appearances for the Celtic reserve team but ended his Celtic career after five first team appearances, scoring two goals in the process. It’s claimed the reasons for the brevity of his career in the famous green and white hoops were because he wasn’t robust enough for the Scottish game in the 1950s with its tough tackles and rough play. Other reports say the forward was far too stylish a player. The likelihood was, aged 29 when he arrived at Celtic, Heron was probably past his best, especially as pace was a key attribute to his game. Despite this Heron was described as “a great and supremely interesting human being” by the Celtic FC guide "An Alphabet of the Celts."

Upon leaving Celtic Park joined Third Lanark where he played in seven League Cup matches, scoring five goals but did not appear in the League. His football career in the UK concluded with a season at Kidderminster Harriers, playing in the Birmingham League. As he had been at Celtic Heron was the first black player to sign for the midlands club. In 1954, Heron would leave England returning home to Detroit to re-join Detroit Corinthians. With a family to support, he took a job on the assembly line at the Ford Motor Car Company. A man of many talents Heron later became a referee, as well as resuming his career as a professional photographer. Gil Heron was also a poet and jazz musician.

Despite being a pioneer in the game his achievements have been overlooked by his legendary son. In 1949 poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron was born in Detroit to singer Bobbie Scott, Gil Heron’s wife. The couple separated when Heron left for Scotland and did meet his son again until Scott-Heron was 26. While in Scotland Heron met his future wife, Margaret Frize. Heron had three more children, Gayle, Denis and Kenny, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Detroit, and eight grandchildren. Gayle said her father was not bitter he received so little recognition, “He knows he was a pioneer,” she says.

His son, Gil Scott-Heron became a rap music pioneer of the 1970s and 80s. His Midnight Band are best known for the polemic song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." On a visit to Glasgow Gil reflected that his father continued to take a lifelong interest in the fortunes of Celtic football club, until his death from a heart attack in November 2008, aged 86, "My father still keeps up with what Celtic are doing. You Scottish folk always mention that my Dad played for Celtic, it's a blessing from the spirits! Like that's two things that Scottish folks love the most; music and football and they got one representative from each of those from my family!"

When his father’s links to Celtic became known it became a feature of his son's UK concerts that some of the fans turned up wearing the club’s shirts. Scott-Heron would joke "There you go again - once again overshadowed by a parent. I'm going to wear my Celtic scarf and Rangers hat when I come over!" The singer went into more detail about his father’s career in an interview with The New Yorker “It was after the war, working for Western Electric, he also played for the Chicago Maroons, or something like that. A Scottish team came through, and he scored on them, which was not what they had come for. They was all white. He went to Scotland, and the legend goes he scored the day he arrived. He was dubbed the Black Arrow, and played professionally for three more years.”

Writing this article, I discovered that behind a little-known fact was an incredible life story of a man who may be overlooked as the father of his legendary son. However, Gil Heron was a trailblazer in his own right, and his own personal achievements will go down in Celtic history.

Team Give & Go Mentor Nadia Gomes signs with Orlando Pride!

With the 23rd pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft, the Orlando Pride selected Nadia Gomes, a forward from Brigham Young University.

Gomes is a dual national who holds citizenship with both the United States and Portugal, though she was born in the latter country. She has played internationally with the Portuguese U-19 women’s team.

“The women’s league is huge and I’m excited to play here,” Gomes said while coming off the draft stage in Philadelphia. “I’m really excited to learn from them (Alex Morgan and Marta) and play with them.”

Gomes has played all four years at BYU totaling 23 goals and 23 assists in 83 games (62 starts), and amassing close to 5,000 minutes in college. She’s known for her explosive speed and left foot. She has received various honors during her collegiate career, including NSCAA All-America Third Team in 2015, WCC Player of the Year in 2015, All-WCC Second Team in 2016, All-WCC Preseason Team in 2017, All-WCC Honorable Mention in 2017, WCC Player of the Week, and MAC Hermann Trophy preseason candidate in 2017.

Even though Gomes was a forward in college, she has the potential to shift to a wingback or fullback spot, which might be better suited for her abilities. With her left foot, it is very likely she could be competing at left back or left wing for the pride.

Unless there is a trade, the Pride are done selecting for the day, as Orlando entered this draft with only a third-rounder.

Here are some of her highlights:

Story by:  By David A. Gray

Team Give & Go U11 Girls Wins 19-3 in first game as organization.

Team Give & Go played their first game as an organization Jan 13, 2018 in a short sized Futsal match. The girls didn't disappoint as they came out strong and beat FC Dallas Bean 19-3.  Congrats to Team Give & Go and stay tune for more to come from this organization and talented bunch.