Interview w/ ECNL National Champion Chloe Miller

I had the pleasure of spending some time with [player_tooltip player_id='111097' first='Chloe' last='Miller'] earlier this week after her 2009 MVLA side won the ECNL National Championship in Virginia. Miller is currently PrepSoccer's #1 ranked player in the 2028 graduating class nationally. She has had quite an impressive start to her young career and she doesn't look like she is stopping anytime soon. During her freshmen year of high school she started and played a massive role for Archbishop Mitty who was a Division 1 CCS and Norcal Finalist. She is also an U15 CONCACAF champion with the USYNT and most recently an ECNL National Champion with MVLA. During our time together I couldn't help but notice Miller's modest but also confident nature.   Question 1: First off congratulations on an incredible season. After getting so close in high school coming 2nd in league, CCS, and Norcal. How much did winning an ECNL National Championship mean to you personally first and then as a team for MVLA?    "I enjoyed playing for Mitty and we ended up having a pretty good season. It was super cool getting to practice and compete with older players like Murphy Walsh and [player_tooltip player_id='83851' first='Angie' last='Cao'] and having the support of the Mitty community made for a really fun experience.     It was so special for all of us! Honestly, I don't think we were expecting to win the championship when we qualified in San Diego but our coaches kept us focused and I think our team really came together.  It felt like we got better with each game in Virginia.  By the time we reached the final, we were ready to compete and play for each other and I'm so grateful for every player on this team."   Question 2: What was the adjustment like coming back to club after high school season for this MVLA team? I'm sure the girls who played for the St Francis Lancers had bragging rights.    "I give St. Francis a lot of credit as they were super strong the entire season.  We were able to get one win against them early in the season but they came back to get us in the end.  What's funny is that so many of their players are on my club team as well as Coach Barboza so the teams knew each others strengths and weaknesses so well that each game was super competitive and came down to just a few key plays.  Once we were back together for the spring club season, we really didn't talk about the High School season that much because our focus was on the upcoming spring season. We were really focused on winning our third straight ECNL NorCal Conference championship which we're all really proud of."   Question 3: Anyone who has watched you play knows that you're always a standout player, but in Virginia you seemed like you were in a special kind of zone. What do you attribute that to?   "I think all my teammates were just focused on each game and being ready to compete and honestly do whatever it took to win. We had played Utah earlier this year in Greensboro but had not seen Penn Fusion or Kansas City Athletics at all so we had to play our way into each game and figure out what we needed to do to break them down.  I think that kept us all calm and helped us stay in a really positive, focused zone for all three games."   Question 4: Obviously every young player wants to represent their country which you have had the opportunity to do on a number of occasions. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the squad announcement for the 4 nations squad in your age group and your name wasn't on it. It's extremely difficult to make every USA squad but when you don't, how does that affect your game if it all?   "Getting the chance to play for the U.S. is an incredible experience. Whether it's a domestic camp, international friendly or a CONCACAF tournament, every opportunity to put on that jersey and compete alongside some of the best players in the country is a surreal experience.  I also know that being selected is out of my control so I just need to keep working on my game and competing at the highest level possible to  hopefully earn the chance to continue to participate with the Youth National Teams in the future. It's honestly just motivation to keep pushing myself and keep working harder."   Question 5: You are ranked quite highly on numerous boards that rate players across the country. What do you attribute this early success to?   "To be honest, I don't really spend any time thinking about player rankings.  While it feels good to be recognized, I have really just always loved to play and enjoy working hard on my game. I truly love the sport and will keep trying to get better as a teammate and a leader on the field. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by great coaches and teammates at MVLA who always support me no matter what."   When discussing the playoff run Miller was quick to pick out a handful of her teammates that she thought played really well throughout the playoffs that were vital to her MVLA team's success.   Annaeliese Braun at goalkeeper for her calm demeanor while remaining vocal as well as making a couple of outstanding saves through their playoff run. [player_tooltip player_id='111090' first='Teagan' last='Kaefer'] who was Miller's partner at Center Back throughout the playoffs who connected a ton of passes and as Miller described having opposing forwards "ON LOCKDOWN." Miller loves to get forward, and when having someone like Kaefer it gives her peace of mind to do so. "She always has my back no matter what" Miller explained. She also singled out [player_tooltip player_id='111184' first='Sophie' last='McCarthy'] who had a breakout string of performances in San Diego and Virginia. Miller emphasized McCarthy's work rate throughout the playoff run "she always gave 100%. No one was beating her in midfield." Miller also stressed Izzy Bertolucci's performances to the importance in this National Championship run "she pressed their backline with high intensity leading to us winning the ball high up the field creating goal scoring opportunities. She was our key to scoring this entire tournament and is a vital piece of our team."   An amazing season for Miller has concluded and another one is right around the corner. A very talented kid who really recognizes that this game is done together. We look forward to watching how her game progresses and grows from here.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Chloe Miller Chloe Miller 5'9" | D/M Archbishop Mitty | 2028 State #1 Nation CA earlier this week after her 2009 MVLA side won the ECNL National Championship in Virginia. Miller is currently PrepSoccer's #1 ranked player in the 2028 graduating class nationally. She has had quite an impressive start to her young career and she doesn't look like she is stopping anytime soon. During her freshmen year of high school she started and played a massive role for Archbishop Mitty who was a Division 1 CCS and Norcal Finalist. She is also an U15 CONCACAF champion with the USYNT and most recently an ECNL National Champion with MVLA. During our time together I couldn't help but notice Miller's modest but also confident nature.