I woke up one recent morning and my Twitter feed was filled with doom and gloom about Catarina Macario, a bright USWNT prospect, choosing Olympique Lyonnais feminine in the French Division 1 league over the NWSL college draft. One would have thought the sky was falling and soccer as we know it will end. I didn’t think that, in fact, if anything I think it shows how strong women’s soccer is in the US.

Almost every year the pundits label someone as the future of US Soccer, the next hope capable of leading our team to glory. Some names we know and some were sparks that fizzled out. On the men’s side, the hopeful list is too long to count with names like Maurice Edu and Julian Green. Yes, they are playing, but their international careers with the USMNT were lackluster. Mallory Pugh, on the women’s side, was the last phenom who had a fantastic youth career, punching above her weight class, playing in a few age groups ahead of her own, and winning awards and USNT call ups left and right. She bypassed college to go straight into the NWSL draft. She has struggled to find her footing and secure a place in the NWSL and USWNT. And while we can all agree she’s talented, she just hasn’t lived up to the hype. We have yet to see Macario play extensively for the USWNT (she made her debut on January 13th) , as she just obtained her US citizenship (formerly Brazilian). She needs to have consistent playing time and caps before we feel that we have lost a great talent.

Macario is at an age when she’s streteching her wings, all things are possible. The first thing I did as a college graduate was move to Puerto Rico and teach third grade for a year. At the heart of it she’s still a 21-year-old who has the opportunity to live in France, creating her own experiences and adventures. She has her whole life and career ahead of her to play in the NWSL, so why not explore? In their careers, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan went to play in the French Division 1 women’s league. Both of their careers seem to be doing just fine - they are at the height of their game with Women’s World Cup trophies and top player awards in the cabinet.

NWSL is the best and most competitive women’s league in the world, filled with the best players in the world. It is challenging for a young player to get starts. The 2020 Challenge Cup gave new young talent a chance to showcase their skills in an uncompromising environment. Young players need starts and playing time to prove themselves.

Players are now making smarter decisions to allow for long-term successful careers, using former players as examples. It is common for players to go to a lesser competitive league before making the jump to an elite league. Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga is a prime example of a transitional club. USMNT’s Christian Pulisic started at Dortmund and gained exposure to big matches in the Champions League before making the move to English Premier League (EPL) team Chelsea. Erling Haaland, Norwegian wunderkind, made headlines last year for choosing Dortmund over big name super clubs. He scored 3 goals in his debut with consistently stunning goals on a weekly basis. At the time, the commentary surrounding him was that this was a smart strategy to establish himself and bridge the gap. No one worried about La Liga or EPL suffering because he chose to move up the ladder slowly instead of leaping to the top. With his performances he will be at a super club in no time. Why are we worrying about the NWSL falling apart?

Women’s soccer is not so fragile in our country to rely on one player. There is a deep bedrock of talent, a vast network of leagues and women’s soccer fans across this country supporting their sport. I think the 20,098 average fans for Portland Thorns 2019 games would agree. This figure exceeds that of many MLS teams. Most NWSL teams were going to play in larger venues in 2020 until the pandemic disrupted these plans. Sky Blue FC was finally going to move from Rutgers to Red Bull Arena. These fans aren’t going to stop showing up because one player went overseas.

The US also has something that other women’s leagues around the world do not, excellent division 2 leagues in UWS and WPSL. There are a number of D2 teams that could compete on the international stage. The D2 leagues are continuing to increase in their number of players and teams. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and just keeps getting better. These leagues provide summer games for college players, but also stronger level of play for younger players looking to better themselves, tactically, technically, and in character. They are a pipeline of talent.

The strength of women’s D2 is stronger now than it has been in the past. As proof, Macario herself played for the UWS 2019 Champions LA Galaxy OC. The 2020 NWSL college draft had 8 UWS players selected, including picks #3 and #4. The WPSL had 17 players drafted this year with three going in the top ten.

I think the best player to show the development and impact the D2 teams have on the D1 level is Jennifer Cudjoe. Jennifer Cudjoe played for California Storm in 2016 and 2017, then for Asheville City SC in 2018 and 2019. Cudjoe earned a spot on Sky Blue FC during an open tryout. Arguably, she was one of the breakout stars of the 2020 Challenge Cup, earning her a multi-year contract with Sky Blue FC. There are many roads that lead to NWSL.

Lisa Baird’s announcement that US Soccer is no longer managing the league proves the strength of the league. USWNT players playing in NWSL can now sign bigger contracts with their club than just receiving an US Soccer allocated salary. This is now an avenue for teams to continue to bring in the best players in the world and pay them what they deserve.

I’m ready for the conversation around American women’s soccer to change from doom and gloom to accepting we are the best team in the world with the best women’s leagues in the world. Let’s claim our rightful spot on the stage and not worry about one player choosing a different path for herself. We have a firm foundation with D2 leagues contributing to the development of top talent. We can be proud of that. Let’s pivot the dialogue to reflect where women’s soccer really is in this country versus where we think it is.

- Danielle Gawronski