By Kevin Kyle
Looking to bolster a team that has already put its mark on the map entering its fourth season of pre-professional play, the Sioux Falls City Football Club has signed more than a baker’s dozen of talented women to its roster this spring.
Ranging in age from 18 to 27, each brings their unique skills and acumen to Sioux Falls with hope of making an impact as a starter, game-changer or as a practice player looking to further develop their proficiency ahead of the next season of college soccer. Some are products of local high school programs, while others have come from abroad to study and play college ball in the United States – giving SFCFC Sporting Director Joe DeMay a roster filled with fight, flair and feeling as City shifts its focus from the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to the more competitive USL W (United Soccer League Women).
“You can see we have an international flavor on our roster, so we look everywhere,” said DeMay. “We do like to have local or Dakota-based players, so you see women from Sioux Falls on the roster and several who play their college soccer here in South Dakota or North Dakota. We have a few women from West River joining us this year, which is also part of that local identity.
“Haille Fischer (now part of the coaching staff) is a great story. She was the first person we ever signed. She always wanted to play in summer, but didn’t want to have to leave town to do it. When our club was formed, it was a dream come true. So, we like to keep that idea in mind.”
Of course, that can’t always be the case; City invests large sums in recruiting, as far as software goes, giving the club ample opportunity to view video of just about any NCAA Division I and II match as well as NAIA competitions.
What is the club looking for?
“We don’t have any player profiles in mind when we’re recruiting and it’s not a one-layered approach,” noted DeMay. “There are seven actions with the ball and six without the ball that we look for. Is there intent and then execution? If the intent is there, but not the execution, it might be the case of a bad or off day, but if we don’t see the intent right away, it’s not going to be a good fit.”
Fit isn’t a one-way street, and to its credit, City has become a club that women have been drawn to because of the organization’s holistic approach to sport and competition.
“I was researching teams and came across Sioux Falls and what they’re all about,” said 22-year-old center back Chrissie Burke, who grew up and played her youth football in Sunderland, England before coming west to join her college squad at Graceland University in Lamoni, IA. “They care about people, not just football, and they’re doing everything the correct way. It’s not just about what leads to success or just about the talent on the field. I wanted to be part of it, talked to Joe, who saw some of my clips, and… here I am.”
Having watched similar development in the club since its inception, the youngest newcomer – local 18-year-old outside back Chloe Wilson – considers herself fortunate to have such a team in her backyard.
“They’ve been so welcoming, the club and all the players,” said Wilson. “They don’t care where you come from, you are family now.” 
That mentality might seem out of place on a 30-plus-player team that is limited by league rules as to how many players can suit up for any given match over 90 minutes.
“Not everybody is going to be on the field and not everyone is going to have playing time,” explained DeMay. “The fact is some won’t make a match-day roster… this season. If this is the environment for you and you want to develop and get better, maybe come back the following year and make an impact, then okay. So, we try to be very transparent with players. And the other part of that is not everybody CAN get on the field – with substitution regulations. With only 20 on the match-day roster and only seven subs, right away two people are not going to play in that match; it’s a highly competitive environment and many of the women want to play at the next level. The margins are small to get on the match-day roster and small to get on the field from there. I think that’s an adjustment for everybody because it’s different than every type of football they’ve known, where there’s always been reentry. Overall, everybody’s fit in with trying to make those adjustments.”
Burke will have plenty of competition in looking to make one or more of those match-day rosters, as City have brought in several eager defenders vying for places on the back line. Eighteen-year-old Izzy Snowden, entering her sophomore season at Drake University in the fall, and Vienna, Austria product Sophie Heine (19) – a recent transfer to Morningside College – will vie for playing time as center backs, while Yuna Aoki (20, Shizuoka, Japan), Elsie Odney (20, Sioux Falls) and Mariany DeSouza (27, Sao Paulo, Brazil) hope to break into the squad as outside backs.
Each is eager to get in the mix, both in practice and in games, knowing the USL W is the next step in their development and dream of playing professionally.
“I like the challenge of this new league, and I know it will keep pushing me to excel,” said Snowden, who saw limited action in City’s initial matches in the Chicago area. “Otherwise, I’m not getting anything out of it. Also, the competition within the team has been very helpful in my development. I like the pace a lot and I’m starting to get the hang of it… think the team will do well in this league.”
Along with a quicker pace, the USL W is also more physically demanding – something both Burke and Heine have had to adjust to.
“That’s been the biggest surprise; There’s more importance placed on athleticism here, while at home the focus is more tactical – good thing I’m good at both,” said Heine with a knowing wink and a chuckle.
As the youthful Wilson looks to anchor down a place in the midfield, she’ll face stiff intrasquad competition from veterans and newcomers alike. Spearfish, S.D. products Madie Donovan (18, Boise State) and Brooke Peotter (19, University of South Dakota) and Avery Korsching (19), out of Grimes, IA, are slated to provide City with solid box-to-box play – not only feeding hungry strikers but also taking their own bites with cheeky scoring efforts.
Each has speed, strength and agility in tactical advances, as well as solid backtracking in defense.
“I like I like how this team is more forward oriented and aggressive minded because I like to be quick in passing the ball to feet or space,” said Korsching, who plays her college ball at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Peotter and Donovan have also found the pace of USL W practices and games to their liking, knowing a summer or two in City’s burgeoning brigade will help further their development.
“I’ve always looked to improve my play in during summers, and I feel like this is the best opportunity to do that close to home,” said Donovan.
“I’m super excited to be part of this team,” added Peotter. I was looking at the Sioux City Sol, but this is far more competitive. I love the environment, and I’m glad to be here.”
Having already made an impact during City’s recent two-match eastern excursion to play River Light (Aurora, IL) and Chicago City Dutch Lions (River Forest, IL), incoming strikers Hanna Schimmer (20, University of Nebraska, Kearney), Tessa French (21, Lake Oswego, OR) and Ivory Coast product Nadja Meite (20, Brown University) are not only confident they’ll step up to the pace of the ‘game,’ but they also know they’ve joined an organization that will promote values and causes off the pitch.
“That’s one thing that pushed me to come here, the team’s values,” said Meite, who assisted City’s first goal in its new league Friday evening in River Forest. “City promotes women and women’s sports, which aligns with what I want out of life. A lot of people said, ‘South Dakota? there’s nothing there,’ but I’m enjoying the challenge and the experience.”
“I was looking around for teams during the spring semester, after playing in the WPSL the last two summers, and Sioux Falls caught my eye – especially because of their values and promotion of women’s athletics,” added French. “It’s also a very competitive environment and I wanted to be a part of that.”
And of similar mind, Schimmer – who had two sizzling efforts against CCDL Friday evening – is all in.
“It’s high level at high speed, which I love, but I feel it’s at a different level. So, bringing myself up to that is the most foreboding, but also challenging. I know this team can hold its own and I’m excited… feel this team can do great things.”
To achieve ‘great things,’ security is at a premium. In that regard, City once again has done things right – making sure each member of the squad has what they need to come to practice happy and healthy.
“The club invests heavily to make sure those who don’t live in the area have a nice Airbnb with a room of their own,” said DeMay. “I heard of a player who slept on a mat on the floor and had no car… no way to get around. We make sure every house has two cars, and local players are really good about helping out. We try to eliminate off-field worries; they have only day-to-day living expenses, meals they might have outside of team activities and putting gas in the tank to consider.”
Which only adds to the sense of family City has fostered for three seasons. Taking those concerns out of the equation, not only promotes a strong team concept, but also allows these gifted women to showcase those talents – whether their goals are to play professionally, make the starting 11 or improve their play as a substitute or practice player.
“The team has been great, everyone’s been very welcoming,” said Iyan Hernandez, who joined the club this spring as a goalkeeper out of Leon, Mexico. “It’s my first year, so I hope to continue to learn, improve and get as much playing time as I can as I help the team achieve its goals.”
Having joined the club with DeSouza, a teammate in the junior college trenches in Yuma, AZ, Hernandez also has the eldest of the City’s members looking out for her.
“I’m the grandma,” chuckled DeSouza. “I feel like, because of my age, I need to look out for everyone, but I also feel like everyone’s looking out for me too.
“This is a great group of women; I love how competitive this team is and how they stick together.”
A togetherness, among veterans and newcomers alike, that will be put to the test when City (1-0-1) squares off against Rochester FC (2-0-1) in a USL W Central Conference Heartland Division match at 7 p.m. at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, MN.
This is YOUR City!