LINDSEY JOHNSON »» WOMEN'S SOCCER BADGERING...
After spending the last few summers playing locally, Sussex, Wis., native Lindsey Johnson decided to join the USL's W-League, a women's pro-am soccer club, this past summer with the hopes of increasing her skill by competing against top-notch competition. Playing for the Seattle Sounders, Johnson spent the entire summer in Washington, playing with and against some of the best players in the world.
What are some of the things you took from your experience this past summer? "It was a huge step for me to be able to go all the way to Seattle. I didn't know anyone there – it was my first time actually being completely away from home. So that was a big adjustment, and the soccer environment was a pretty big adjustment as well because there were a lot of good players on the team and I didn't necessarily get as much playing time as I usually do, so becoming a better teammate and learning to be patient were two things I took from the experience."
What was the most exciting aspect of your summer in Seattle? "Playing against Olympic-level players like Alex Morgan, Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe was the best thing I could've done because they consistently set the bar high for practices and games, so it really resonated with me and made me want to work that much harder."
Outside of soccer, what was the most interesting thing you did? "For the Fourth of July we went to Hope Solo's house and we had a little get together, so that was really cool. They were all really nice and offered to always get together. We went to a men's Sounders game with a bunch of the girls and it was a lot of fun."
How does Seattle compare to any other city you've been to? "The city of Seattle is amazing, it's completely different from being in Milwaukee or Madison, which is basically where I've been my whole life. The culture out there is something I've never experienced in my life. They are huge soccer fans, so we would have around 4,500 people at our games. Everywhere I would go they would have Seattle Sounders apparel and memorabilia. It was just very different from anything that I've seen- they're more into soccer there than any other sport, like football or basketball."
22 » VARSITY AUGUST 30, 2012
