Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Edwards flourishing for New York Flash
Veteran making mark with Western New York
It’s been a challenging, detour-filled journey, but Downingtown’s Becky Edwards feels very fortunate that she’s been able to earn a living playing women’s professional soccer ever since exiting the college ranks in 2010.
The former Downingtown West High School standout has never been spent consecutive seasons with any franchise – six in six years – including a stint in Sweden during 2012 after the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league folded and before the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) made its debut.
“Soccer is my life,” said Edwards, who is currently a member of the NWSL’s Western New York Flash. “My parents (Dave and Mary Ellen Edwards) have invested so much into it and it was always my dream to play for a living.
“Since I was seven years old, it’s what I’ve wanted to do.”
The travel can be brutal, the pay is quite underwhelming and the level of play in the NWSL is not nearly what it was in the WPS, but Edwards is thriving.
She is currently tied for third in the nine-team league in assists (3) and is fourth in corner kicks (26) for the Flash (4-4-1), which is based in Elma, N.Y., in suburban Buffalo. Edwards has started every game this season and leads the team in minutes played (810).
“It’s still a struggle,” she said when asked about the NWSL. “Right now the business model for the league is successful, but it means that we don’t make a lot of money. Now there is a salary cap, which wasn’t the case with the WPS. It’s a little over $200,000 and on most teams that’s split among 12 or 13 players.
“But I’ve gotten to travel the world, meet some cool people and earn some money along the way.”
At age 27, Edwards understands
that she is most likely approaching the downslope of her playing career. She is determined to make one last run at the United States World Cup and Olympic teams in the next cycle, but admits that she is thinking more and more about what comes after her playing days are through.
“I’m playing professionally, I’m thriving and doing what I love to do every day, but it will come to an end some day and I will have to find a real job,” she pointed out.
“I have to start thinking about what I’m going to do next. But I want to play as long as it’s still fun and I can make a living. This is definitely not like men’s professional sports where we have all this money.”
Edwards has a business degree from Florida State to fall back on, but she doesn’t see herself leaving soccer. The long-term plan is to pursue a master’s degree as a graduate assistant at the college level and then get into coaching.
“I love coaching but I like playing a little more right now,” she said. “I’ll know when it’s time to stop playing. When that happens, I’ll be ready to coach.
“I’m not sure at what level but I don’t really see my life without soccer. It’s given so much to me, so I want to give back.”
Until that time comes, Edwards is content to play professionally, help the NWSL succeed and continue to grow the game.
“The United States has always been a premier country in women’s soccer, so to keep that dominance, you have a successful pro league,” she explained. “You look at Germany, Sweden and France – they are three of the best teams in the world and they all have great pro leagues. We need that here in the U.S.”
Like many girls born in the late 1980’s, Edwards was heavily influenced by this country’s World Cup triumph in 1999. She also routinely attended home games of the Philadelphia Charge of the Women’s United Soccer Association, which soon followed Team USA’s title.
“I remember watching the World Cup in 1999,” Edwards said. “I was 11 and at a soccer tournament in New Jersey when they won it. That team actually trained at United Sports in Downingtown, and I remember missing school to go to that. It’s been my dream since then.”
During her sophomore year of high school, Downingtown West captured the Class AAA state title, even though the Downingtown high school split took place the year before. Edwards scored the game-winner against Moon Township.
“I remember that goal,” she said. “It was 18 seconds into the game and it was a shot from distance.
“It was pretty cool because it happened right after the split and we lost half of the talent we had the year before. It was pretty special.”
Edwards began a stellar run representing the U.S. on the national under-17 squad, and by her senior season, Edwards was a top-25 national recruit. She chose Florida State over Duke, Penn State and UConn.
A defender at FSU for three seasons, Edwards moved to midfield for her final season and was named a first-team All-American. And in 2008, she helped the U.S. under-20 National Team win the gold medal at the FIFA Youth World Cup in Chile.
“Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux were my teammates and nobody knew who they were at that time,” she said. “That experience was amazing. We travelled all over the world, and then to go to Chile and win was amazing.”
The success carried over as Edwards was part of two WPS championship teams in her first two seasons as a professional. The 12th overall pick of FC Gold Pride in the 2010 WPS Draft, Edwards made 21 starts as a rookie. A year later, she scored three goals in 19 matches in her first stint with the Western New York Flash.
And then the league folded.
“I was like, ‘oh man, what am I going to do?’” she recalled. “I wasn’t ready to get a real job so I went to Sweden and had an incredible experience (with Kristianstads DFF).”
Edwards returned for the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013 and was signed as a free agent by the Portland Thorns. Backed by the MLS’s Portland Timbers, the franchise averaged 14,000 fans per game. But 10 matches into the season, Edwards suffered a torn ACL. The following season she was picked up by the Houston Dash in an expansion draft.
And then last fall, Edwards was part of an offseason trade, which brought her back to the Flash. She was named the NWSL Player of the Week in May.
“I played here in 2011, so I knew the coach, the area, the owner,” Edwards pointed out. “It’s closer to my family, it’s nice to be back on the East Coast and I go back home to Downingtown every once in a while to see my parents.”