After a history-making victory in the inaugural United Soccer League Super League Championship in June, the Tampa Bay Sun Football Club is ready to embrace a new season.
The Catalyst was invited to speak to some of the players ahead of the women’s soccer team’s first game, Saturday against the Brooklyn Football Club in New York.
Energized for the season, captain and midfielder Jordyn Listro credits the fans for inspiration.
“We are always pushing for more, and always striving for more,” she said. “This is such a great club and community, so we want to make our fans proud and obviously get those results that they’re all hoping for.”
She’d be the first to acknowledge that there are some challenges as well.
“We have a lot of new players so it’s getting used to everyone and making sure we’re on the same page from the start,” she explained. “We had a short off-season and not a long preseason to get going.”
Sydney Schneider, a goalkeeper who joined the team in March, looks forward to helping the club build on its previous success.
“Personally, I’m excited to start from the beginning since I came late, but as a team, I’m excited to see the growth and development even from a championship earlier this year,” she said.
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Staying grounded is key, Schneider explained. “Just being there to support each other and also holding each other accountable, I feel, is very important to keep a high standard throughout the season.”
Newcomer Mackenzie Pluck, who previously played for the Brooklyn Football Club, did an intra-league transfer to join the Sun organization as a midfielder.
“They have a winning squad,” she explained. “They have a competitive group and I’m really excited to now call myself a part of that squad.”
Pluck agreed with Listro on the challenges the team will face. Getting “the chemistry down” with all of the players will be “the biggest hurdle” for the first few games, she said.
For Listro, Schneider and Pluck, impacting future women’s soccer players is a highlight of the job.
“I think that’s my favorite part,” Listro explained. “I remember being in their shoes years ago and looking up to my role models, and that’s what made me want to do this. So I hope that I’m a good role model for them day in and day out.”
Schneider added that young fans are “impacting us as well” and provide motivation.
“Giving back to the community is something that I think a lot of women’s soccer players hold close to their heart,” Pluck said. “It is a privilege to play this game and the game is growing a lot right now.”
The team will play its first home match for the season Aug. 30 against Sporting Club Jacksonville at the Riverfront Stadium (Howard W. Blake High School campus).
View the Tampa Bay Sun club’s upcoming schedule at their website.
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