Uncommon route: Madison Parsons surprising path to the Pros
This one is near and dear to my heart. Madison Parsons path to becoming a professional soccer player is far from ordinary. I am honored to be her Agent. This is her story.
I met Madison Parsons about a year ago when I was first beginning my journey as a Player Agent. I was referred to her by a friend of mine, Ben Russell, who is one of the best coaches in the Bay Area and has a great eye for talent. He coached against her with Oakland Soccer Club in a Women's UPSL game and told me how blown away he was by her play. I was excited about this prospect and began doing some research on her. Her resume did not jump off the page. She didn't play at a top club or league during her youth career. She never played ECNL, Girls Academy, and didn't attend a Division I soccer program.
She played grassroots soccer with a club called Blues FC coached by, Sean-Michael Callahan, whom she credits much of her current success to. Blues played in the NorCal Premier League (modern day NPL) at the time. It is widely considered to be the third-tier of Youth Girls Soccer.
Her high school career was strong. She played 3 years of varsity soccer at Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs and won League MVP her junior season. She banged goals in at the high school level but for whatever reason not much stock is placed in high school soccer by collegiate coaches. She accepted an offer to play at CSU, Chico a Division II program close to her hometown.
Unfortunately, due to knee injuries and two surgeries her Freshman and Sophomore years so she did not play. COVID hit us all her junior year, and she played in a COVID shortened season as a senior. During that season she scored 6 goals and tallied 1 assist in 17 games and 5 starts. She even managed to get a CCAA Conference record for the fastest hat trick in its history at three minutes and four seconds.
I trusted Ben so I got in contact with her, and she expressed an interest in trying to play professionally if the opportunity presented itself. After speaking with her for the first time I laid out her options and informed her that attending open try-outs would be the only way for her to get seen. Luckily for us, 2023 was a great year for Professional Women's Soccer in the USA. It was announced that a brand-new Tier 1 professional league (USL Super League) with 8 teams assembling across the country was starting play in 2024. The league was designed to complement the already established NWSL playing on a yearlong european schedule with competitive salaries and player benefits. With new professional clubs coming, try-outs usually follow suit.
Just like any potential client, I asked her to send me some of her recent highlights. This is when my tune began to change. My skepticism for a player with so little high-level experience turned into utter excitement. She is a special player. One of the oldest clichés in sports is “the film does not lie.” Ms. Parsons is no exception. Her film and what she was able to show blew me away. She sent me clips from UPSL games as well as games where she would play against men in local Sunday Leagues. I watched every single one with eager anticipation. She makes so many plays on both sides of the ball; so fun to watch. Her control of the ball, tactical awareness, physicality and technical skills made it clear to me that she could make the jump into the professional level.
Parsons' can be deployed at multiple positions. In her first eight games of her professional career, she has played the 6, the 8, the 9, the 10, and the 7/11. However, it's clear that she thrives as the 9 or 10. Her passing range is vast. She can use both feet and hits the ball with true venom. She creates a ton of turnovers with her relentless pressing and well-timed tackles. Her Soccer IQ is elite and she has the ability to read a play before it happens leaving defenders behind. Her aerial dual win percentage is off the charts, and she has sharp tight space footwork to create space for her next action. All we needed to do was find her an opportunity.
The first team in the USL Super League to hold open try-outs was Lexington Sports Club. I sent Parsons the information, we talked about it, and she was interested. I had a word with the club's coach and general manager, I vouched for her ability and in December 2023 she was on a plane to Kentucky to showcase her game.
Please understand, the chances of a player getting signed from an open try out like this is incredibly small. However, in Madi's case I was not surprised that the staff in Lexington got back to me immediately wanting to sign her. Madi and I discussed other teams/options, but she really liked the Head Coach Mike Dickey and the General Manager Michelle Rayner in Lexington. So, terms were negotiated by all parties and just like that she was a professional soccer player, with a contract that most former Division I players and ECNL/Girls Academy All-Stars would envy.
Eight games into her professional career and Parsons has shattered expectations. She is second in the league in goals (4), second in points, and tied for 1st in goal contributions (6) and has quickly established herself as one of the league's top performers. When one watches games in this league, the women she's playing with and against have high pedigree. Resumes consist of top 25 collegiate programs, ECNL/Girls Academy clubs, former and current (on loan) NWSL players, players with top 5 European league experience, as well as players with youth and full national team experience. They're top players, it's a fantastic standard and Parsons is thriving in it.
I think so many young girls and boys can look to this 23-year-old as an example of hope for their future soccer aspirations. Madi loves to play ball, so she kept playing. While working a full-time job in finance, she would drive hours for games. She played pick-up games, indoor games, UPSL games, and Men's Sunday League. Whatever chance that came for this young woman to play she would take it. There were times before training camp began where I begged her not to play so she could save her body a little bit for pre-season. She rarely listened and would play anyways insisting she needed to stay in shape.
Madi had this to say about her time pre-professional career. “I will be forever grateful to all the coaches who have had a part in getting me to this point in my career. Sean Michael Callahan provided a great basis and skill set which allowed me to be signed to play college soccer. Kim Sutton and Kat Benton at Chico State were both pivotal in preparing me for this journey and gave me the tools I needed to make a professional team. I am also grateful to the greater Chico soccer community. I received so much kindness and support from local players there. I appreciate the players at the Tehama Glenn Men's Sunday league for taking a chance and allowing me to play with them. So many players and coaches encouraged me to continue to pursue professional opportunities and taught me to play smarter in order to compete with the men. Without their encouragement I would not have continued the path that led me to Lexington.”
Madi's story is remarkable, it needs to be told and celebrated. She proves that talent can be found at all levels of the soccer pyramid. It's also a testament that the potential for unfound talent which hasn't been seen by the right coach at the right time is out there. She confirms that no matter what your current situation may be, you can still dream of more. If you're still playing you should always have a dream of a higher level, a bigger stage, a larger arena. Why play if you don't?
