Players straight out of college had a slow start in the WUSA. Making the adjustment on the field and off hasnÆt been easy.
No one expected college players to dominate the WUSA right away. They havenÆt.
The U.S. and foreign national team stars, veterans of years of international competition, have had a big edge over players who completed their senior college seasons last fall.
Even WashingtonÆs Anne Makinen and CarolinaÆs Meredith Florance, last yearÆs top collegians, have had slow starts.
Rookies have to deal with off-the-field issues that many of their older colleagues do not. Those range from completing college courses and surviving on meager salaries.
Adjusting to the level of play is the biggest hurdle for most.
ôSpeed of play is one area of improvement for all these players,ö Philadelphia coach Mark Krikorian said, ôand becoming more sophisticated in the way they play, using their bodies to protect themselves and becoming more adept in learning when the referees blow the whistle or donÆt blow the whistle.ö
Florance is still making the transition.
She was the first American rookie drafted in the WUSA ù Carolina chose her in the second round with the 11th overall pick ù after leading the University of North Carolina to its 16th NCAA championship last fall.
The 22-year-old striker had 26 goals for the Tar Heels in 2000. She started eight of the first nine games for the Courage but scored just once.
ôItÆs just tough to beat somebody,ö Florance said. ôA lot of the time you just have to be smarter than they are, which is hard because theyÆve had such a wonderful experience at the international level.ö
Many players missed practice time and, in some cases, games with their WUSA clubs to go back to school.
FloranceÆs studies ù plus the lack of a steady frontline partner ù held her back. Since playing for the Courage allows Florance to stay in Chapel Hill, she was able to complete her classwork this spring. While teammates were relaxing or taking extra training, Florance went to class from 8 to 11 a.m., then she trained with Carolina until 3 p.m. She graduated from UNC on May 28.
ôFor a while in the beginning,ö says Florance, ôI wasnÆt able to go out and do some extra shooting and extra work, and now that schoolÆs over, IÆm not as tired.ö
Courage coach Marcia McDermott has seen improvement in FloranceÆs play since her studies ended.
ôSchool is definitely a stress for some of the college kids,ö says McDermott.
BostonÆs Heather Aldama, Bay AreaÆs Kelly Lindsey and Makinen didnÆt have the luxury of finishing up their schoolwork at nearby universities.
Aldama missed some early games as she commuted from Boston to Santa Clara University to work toward her degree. SheÆs still not done.
Lindsey had to miss a game at Philadelphia to take final exams at Notre Dame. Makinen didnÆt join the Freedom until she completed her coursework at Notre Dame.
ôDuring preseason, we had double days and you were constantly tired and exhausted,ö said Lindsey, who missed her May graduation to return to the CyberRays. ôAnd you had to focus on getting your homework done, sending it back via e-mail or fax.ö
After Lindsey got rid of one headache, another sprang up. When the CyberRays cut roommate Amy Walsh, Lindsey and teammate Ann Cook didnÆt know how they would continue to pay rent on their $2,500-per-month Silicon Valley house.
Lindsey is one of the six lowest paid players on her club. She was selected first in the February supplemental draft but earns the minimum $25,000 salary.
The Bay Area bailed out Lindsey and Cook when it acquired Australian defender Dianne Alagich, who moved in with the pair.
BostonÆs Sarah Powell earns a salary in the low-to-mid $30,000-range but saves money by living with her parents in Natick, Mass., 20 minutes from the BreakersÆ playing field.
Players like Powell and Lindsey have it better than reserve team players, who each earn just $5,000 per season. A reserve can earn up to $2,500 more by working camps for her club.
Kacy Beitel, a Washington reserve, rooms with Freedom teammates Dawn Greathouse, Bai Jie and Carrie Moore in a $2,600-per-month three-bedroom townhouse. Beitel and Greathouse, another rookie reserve, share a room.
ôIt is expensive living here,ö Greathouse said. ôItÆs not a lot of money, but itÆs not why I wanted to be a professional soccer player. ItÆs totally for the love of the game. As long as IÆm playing for a team such as this one, IÆll continue to do it as long as theyÆll let me. I have the best job in the world.ö
TOP WUSA ROOKIES
1. Jenny Benson (Philadelphia). Left back with great left foot.
2. Kelly Lindsey (Bay Area). Steady central defender.
3. Laurie Schwoy (Philadelphia). Good playmaker, when healthy.
4. Nancy Augustyniak (Atlanta). Physical player on deep backline.
5. Heather Aldama (Boston). Technically gifted left back/left midfielder.
by Soccer America associate editor Dean Caparaz