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awfcspencer · 5 days

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Text or Call? || alexia putellas x reader

prompt: At the 2019 World Cup you meet Alexia, what happens at the 2023 World Cup.

warnings: uswnt!reader, instances of angst but a happy ending

“The United States look to continue their powerful regime and earn a fourth covenant star on their jerseys.”

It was the somewhat mantra of this year’s major tournament, building the pressure to perform well to the highest magnitude. There was an expectation of excellence surrounding the team months leading up to the tournament, with new eyes joining the march nearly every day, boosting the US to new heights.

The 2019 Women’s World Cup had been set and it was imperative that the United States go back-to-back World Champions, you could see the newspapers now as it seemed it was somewhat written in the stars for the United States. The pressure to play well was there, and you couldn’t let down your country on the national stage. The prevailing narrative casted an array of self-doubt and anxieties into you, and you couldn’t deny the lingering thoughts of what-ifs. What if you don’t play well? What if you don’t win?

You’d spent countless years preparing for this opportunity, moving through the USWNT age groups with ease and then battling to make the senior team roster. You’d been playing professional soccer for a couple years right out of college, playing for a few different NWSL teams throughout your career. A few international assignments scattered along the schedule leading up to the World Cup proved you were worthy of such call-up and when the roster was announced, you’d managed to escape with a spot.

The media’s outrage was uncontrollable, claiming other national team members deserved your earned spot more than you, the constant outpour of hatred flooded your social media, it was hard to ignore, just like the dark cloud that casted over you as you landed in France to begin the tournament.

The group stage had gone swimmingly, the United States proved once again why they were a threat and seemingly looked to breeze by competition. The roster was filled with the highest of talent but still you’d managed to find minutes on the pitch, only causing increased negative media. One bad pass or one bad movement made you feel each and every ruthless word that the fans spewed online, it was uneasy to escape the anxious feeling you felt each time you played.

Your national teammates tried to shield you from the hatred online, but you saw it, and throughout select moments of the tournament, you felt yourself desperately trying to prove them wrong, but your head was clouded and your mind was on overdrive, your apparent distractedness was only hurting your game.

With an upcoming knock round game versus Spain, you seeked to play your game, play the game you loved with every fiber in you, play with the seemingly carefree nature that set your game apart from your teammates. The same energy and joy you played with during the NWSL season that had initially brought your name up to Jill, you needed to return to yourself, you needed to play for yourself and not listen to what hundreds of people said behind anonymous screens.

The match against Spain in the midfield looked to be a challenge you welcomed, matched up directly across Alexia Putellas, a woman near your age who had been streamlining a new era of Spain dominance and prolonged success of Liga F’s Barcelona team.

You’d yet had the chance to meet the brunette in person, but seconds before kickoff you couldn’t deny the effortless beautifulness the midfielder had. Her fixed concentration and aura was undeniable, there was something enticing about her that you clearly didn’t have time to ponder on as the whistle blew and the game had begun.

The US managed to strike first but an untimely mistake that Jenni Hermoso quickly countered on and the score was tied 1-1.

A wave of up and downs on both sides left the match up in the air, both sides fighting desperately to move on. You’d spent most of the match marking the vital number 11 for Spain, she moved rapidly down the pitch, excelling at such rate that you questioned if she was human or not, her stamina never withering. Alex had sent you a narrow ball on the route down the right side, forcing an untimely challenge from the Spaniard you’d been eyeing all game. You’d felt every spike of her cleat in your ankle, immediate pain coursing through the bone.

“Lo sien- I am sorry.” She spoke with a clear apologetic tone, crouching down to meet your eyes. Her eyes were piercing up close, an assortment of different brown and hazel tones that fit her perfectly. “Are you okay?”

You’d sent her a swift nod, using her extended arm to help assist you up. Her breathtaking eyes peered down to you ankle, searching for any sort of extra concern. You moved your ankle in circles, the pain dwindled a bit and you were ready to compete again. Alexia let out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding in, thankful she hadn’t hurt you for her idiotic attempt to stop your path to a goal to put the US back on top.

“All good.” You explain, sending her an appreciative smile for helping you up and jogged backwards a bit to resume play. You’d understood the tackle wasn’t malicious or targeted, she was simply trying to win the game, you couldn’t blame her efforts as you would have done nearly the same.

Throughout the rest of the match, you’d found yourself stationed within close distance of the midfielder, her feet always seemed to attract the ball from her teammates and her vision for the game sent you running yards to continue to track the ball down. She made her passes look effortless, slicing through defenders with ease and her dribbling technique to create space was incredible, you would have been in full awe of the brunette if you weren’t in the middle of a vital match.

Luckily a penalty had been awarded to the United States and the US were now ahead 2-1 and you desperately begged for the final whistle to blow. Your wish came true not much longer and the US moved on to the next stage. Spain gave a valiant effort, exposing the weak parts of the US game which you were sure the opponents were watching. After a brief celebration, your legs seemingly moved without your own account, moving until you were inches away from the Spain number 11, the midfielder that had suffocated your thoughts nearly all game. Before you could really think, your arm peered out and tapped the midfielder on the shoulder.

“Good game.” You told her when she turned to you. “Jersey swap?”

Her once focused eyes now red-rimmed as tears threaten to fall from her eyelashes. It broke your heart in an indescribable way and you’d just nearly met the girl 90 minutes ago, but there was something alluring about her, she was a future powerhouse of women’s football and there was a sort of fascination that bubbled in you about the brunette.

She nodded and quickly discarded her jersey and handed it to you, “Good game as well.”

You couldn’t deny, Alexia Putellas was built by God himself, her features chiseled and muscles defined, you couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds before she put your jersey on, the heat certainly rising to your cheeks placing a warm blush across your face.

“See you around Putellas.” You told her as you walked toward where your team stood in the middle of the pitch conversing with other members of the Spain team.

The celebrations rang through the changing room, everyone congratulating one another on a solid performance and another checked off box towards back-to-back world cup wins. The time difference in France had certainly caught up to you and the efforts of the match meant your sore limbs desperately needed relaxation, so you headed back towards the hotel, leaving your national teammates who you knew would be partying until the sun eventually came up the next day. You’d swiftly changed out of your new Spain jersey and settled for a casual grey sweatsuit combo.

Entering the hotel, you made your way towards the elevator, but something, or someone, piqued your interest. The all too familiar girl you’d spent the last 90 minutes chasing around, now sat in the hotel bar. She was dressed in similar clothes as you, nursing a small glass of wine alone. You’d recognized the back of her hair immediately, you’d constantly been behind her most of the match as her speed was unrivaled. Her hair now escaped the bun it had during the game and cascaded along her back. She was beautiful in the bun, but something about her hair down made your heart skip a beat, she was breathtaking, even from the back.

Once again, your legs drove you forward, tiredness forgotten, you were incredibly infatuated in the midfielder and you desperately wanted to know her, understand her. There was something unexplainable about her that you couldn’t pinpoint that drew you in.

“Can I sit?” You asked timidly. The position you know found yourself in was sticky, you didn’t think about the fact that your country had just knocked hers out of the World Cup and there was a high possibility that she wanted nothing to do with you, the brutal obvious thoughts now entered your mind when she didn’t immediately answer.

“I’m sorry, I’ll go.” You told her as you made your way to leave.

“No, stay. You can sit.”

You turn your head at the familiar voice, settling in next to Alexia on the barstool to the right of her.

“You don’t deserve the hate you get online you know.” She spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

“Thank you, and if it’s any consolation, you and your country did play well today.”

She simply nodded in agreeance, taking a slow slip of her red wine. You and Alexia fell into an easy conversation when you asked about her journey, and then when she asked you about yours. The talking flowed effortlessly and you slowly found the girl in front of you coming out of her shell. She was easy to talk to and even after experiencing the loss she did today, she was quite humorous. The laugh that fell from her lips was intoxicating and you slowly found yourself melting around the Spaniard with every passing second.

During one of your national teammates stories where you described an amusing event at training during the group stage, the pads of her fingers briefly stroked your shoulder and even through your sweatshirt, you could feel her electric touch, something was growing between the two of you in that dimly lit hotel bar.

Glancing down at your watch, you realized you’d spent nearly three hours in the bar, talking with Alexia. Your once tiredness completely vanished when you saw the girl, but now the weight of your activities of the day now hitting you like a truck and a small yawn escaped your lips unwillingly.

“You should probably get some sleep.” She whispered. “But here.” She tore off a piece of the napkin that held her wine glass and jotted down her number for you. “Text or call after the tournament, yeah?”

“Of course, Alexia. Thank you for tonight.” You told her as you pulled yourself off the bar stool. “Good night Alexia.”

You moved to leave the bar before you heard her voice again, “Wait.”

As you turned back to the midfielder, she placed a soft kiss on your cheek, “Good night.”

After the World Cup, you’d made good on your promise and texted Alexia, blossoming a friendship with the Spaniard, and then with time, you found yourself in a committed relationship with Alexia. A long-distance relationship that relied heavily on communication, but every chance either of you got to visit, you both did so instantly.

You watched Alexia cement her name in countless record books across Spain and she watched your game develop likewise. A powerhouse couple of sorts in women’s football, and you had fallen madly in love with the midfielder. But eventually, the hundreds of miles caught up to the two of you.

------------

You replay the moment in your head every single day. From the very second you wake up in the morning to the second your eyes close at night, the moment replays in your head like a broken record. Alexia’s voice on the other side of the phone, hundreds of miles away, begging you to not give up on her drilled into your brain.

Every day that passed you thought about forming a line of contact, trying to take back the obvious mistake you’d made. But you had let her down, and the last memory of the Spaniard you had was her voice buzzing in her your head, pleading to give her one more try. The distance between the two of you ultimately became too much and you couldn’t handle it any longer, and you would not let Alexia throw her whole life away to move closer to you, her home was in Barcelona and yours was in the US.

You still smell the traces of her scent on your bedsheets. You still remember her favorite songs, the way she’d sing them out loud in the shower thinking no one’s listening. You still remember the feel of her under your palms, every curve, every line. The Spaniard still infiltrated all of your thoughts, even after you thought you’d gotten over her. You still couldn’t get her out of your mind, even though you knew you were probably long gone from hers.

From then on, you’d thrown yourself full force into your game, working hours a day to perfect your game and make the 2023 World Cup roster. A numbness had settled into you some time after the breakup and it had never left. Your main focus was football, the game that had changed your entire life, and not necessarily because of the sport itself. The game in which you had the highest of highs and low lows, the game that had brought you Alexia, and the game that eventually teared you away from the girl.

You’d watched her struggle to recover from her ACL tear and watched her proudly return back to the pitch like she had never left. You’d kept up with Alexia, peaking into a Barça match every so often, watching her excel on the pitch just like she did four years ago at the World Cup, now just more people appreciated her game and you couldn’t be happier for you her.

The 2023 World Cup had the same intense feeling as the 2019 World Cup, the pressure for the United States to win another star was at a new height and it was up to the squad to win at any cost necessary. You’d cemented yourself as a valuable member of the team and now felt the weight of what was at risk for this tournament.

You knew Alexia was going to be at the tournament, but you tried to force it out of your mind and focus on the task ahead. But there was no way to avoid her, the anxiety that settled into your stomach thinking about the girl was uncontrollable. Your mind was supposed to be focused and ready, but instead you felt numb and blank. Physically you were in Australia, but your mind was elsewhere.

The group stage was all a blur, you’d been simply going through the motions for longer than you could remember, trying to just survive. The media was even more ruthless this tournament, claiming the US had lost their passion for the game and condemned each and every national team member, it was ruthless and you simply couldn’t escape it, but your mind spewed the same things, except your thoughts were focused on the girl who hadn’t left you mind since you broke her heart.

The game against Sweden was an eye-opener, a stalemate match that even after extra time was still even, forcing a penalty shoot-out. Your team swayed together uncontrollably as your heart pounded in your ears, tuning out the crowd and trying to focus on the penalties.

Next up was you. You lined the ball up and did the same penalty kick routine you’d done every single time. You took a deep breath and kicked the ball. The ball cleared the goal post, missing the net entirely, sending the ball into the stands. You had missed the penalty, and Sweden capitalized. You’d let down your country.

Unbeknownst to you, Alexia sat in hotel room watching the match. Her knee bounced anxiously as she tried not to bite her nails, a habit you desperately pleaded for the Spaniard to stop. The match had given her heart palpitations as she shakingly paced around the room when the match came down to penalties. She watched you take yours and miss terribly, and when the camera panned to you, her heart broke in a million little pieces.

Her thumb hovering over your contact, wanting to extend herself to you again, to be a shoulder to cry on, she knew this pain all too well. But luckily, she knew where you would go.

Back at the stadium, the Sweden team celebrated and the USWNT left in despair. You want to scream and cry but you can’t, every time you want to show an emotion, your body shuts down, unable to get the numbness that has surrounded you all tournament out. You needed something to let go, to get rid of this agonizing feeling and aid your despair.

You’d made quick work of packing your belongings in the changing room, and escaped out the door as quickly as you could, getting on the team bus and locking your eyes out the side window, not allowing the tears to fall.

Once back at the hotel, you fell behind your teammates and instead of turning right towards the elevator up to the hotel rooms, you took a left and entered the hotel bar. You’d asked the bartender for something strong, something to forget the last 90 minutes of football.

“I figured I’d find you here.” You knew her voice all too well, it sent a bone chilling shiver down your spine. “Can I sit?”

As you turned towards the girl, even in the softly lit bar, you knew who it was.

“Alexia.” You try to not let your voice betray your feelings because you know Alexia can read you like an open book. Being back in Alexia’s presence was more intoxicating than any drink the bartender could offer you.

“This was a bad idea. I just wanted to…” What did Alexia want to do? In truth she wanted to kiss you, hold you and tell you how special you are and apologize a thousand times for letting the distance get in the way, she wanted to do and say so many things. She noticed your eyes were tired but still had the same fire she saw four years ago.

“Please stay.” You said and reached out to grab her, not caring how desperate you sounded, you couldn’t help it. Alexia, the girl who you had tried to avoid like the plague the second you landed in Australia, stood right in front of you. Her hair was slightly longer and you met her eyes for the first time since the breakup. She sat next to you in silence, she’d never seen you so damaged, so frail.

“How are you… doing?” You asked, swallowing around another lump in your throat, trying to get your thoughts together as you look towards her nervously.

“I’m okay.” She said, sending you a soft smile with the small quirk it always had, the smile that was ingrained in the back of your mind even though you wished it wasn’t.

Your heart thuds in your chest, Alexia was mere inches away from you and you yearned to lean over and kiss her, but you knew you couldn’t. She most likely had moved on and found solace in someone else, someone who wasn’t you.

You try not to look into Alexia’s eyes for too long, because you know that if you lock eyes, Alexia will see just how much you still love her.

“It’s not your fault you know.” She said, but you couldn’t tell if she was speaking about the match or about the past relationship. But nonetheless, you saw the opportunity and took it, and the apology spilled out of you.

“I was scared. I was hurt by the distance and I couldn’t handle it any longer. I tried to get you back but I am so sorry Alexia.” You whisper brokenly, tears streaming down your cheeks gently. You choke on your own cry that builds in your throat, everything bubbling to the surface.

“I am so sorry I ever let you go.” Your voice cracks on the last word, not knowing where this conversation would go from here, but it had to be said.

Before you can say anything more through tears, you feel Alexia stand up, a hand wrapping around your waist and warms lips on your neck. Your eyes close as you cry harder, emotions from the game combining with the unsettled emotions of your breakup all those months ago. Alexia tightened her hold around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer.

You watch as something flashes across Alexia’s face and it takes your heart in a vice grip to see the girl so confused and hurt. It makes you think back to the phone call and if you’d been able to see Alexia’s face when you broke up with her, you didn’t think you’d be alive now.

There were two broken hearts in the room, not just one.

Alexia takes one of your hands, holding it between the two of you, “If you leave again, I will not be able to survive.”

Her words hit you like a train as the impact almost makes you fall over, but you take your combined hands and place them firmly over her heart. You close your eyes and focuses on the heartbeat under your palm.

“I never want to live without you ever again.” You tell her as you hold your breath with the last syllable as you finish. Alexia kisses the small tear rolling down your cheek, The move is gentle and genuine and you reach out and tug Alexia closer.

Alexia lifts your head up to meet her eyes that are also brimming with tears, “I never want to live without you ever again.”

Alexia is giving you the power to reach into her chest and rip her heart right out again, but she is trusting you won’t this time. She leans in once more and kisses your lips, the gesture so familiar as if no time has passed.

Alexia manages the one sentence that she knows doesn’t need much explaining for you to know the meaning, and she weighs on it heavily to anchor the two of you.

“Text or call after the tournament, yeah?” She asked as the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

#woso x reader #woso community #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso one shot #woso blurbs #alexia putellas x y/n #alessia russo x reader #alexia putellas x reader #alexia x reader #woso #woso soccer #womens soccer #alexia putellas

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meazalykov · 12 days

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For me there is only you

esmee brugts x uswntplayer!R

warnings: this is a long one. gets a tiny bit spicy towards the end but nothing crazy lol.

Netherlands vs USWNT was a highly anticipated match in the 2023 Women's World Cup. The cheers and chants echoing through the stadium could’ve been heard from a mile away. This wasn’t normal for a group stage game. This is due to the two countries having history. The Americans and The Dutch faced each other during the 2019 World Cup final, which resulted in a United States victory.

At the end of the 90th minute, the score is 1-1. Emotions ran throughout the two hour match but one player's frustration was palpable. Y/n L/n, a rising star on the US Women's National Team, had just finished a match against the Netherlands that ended in a draw. Despite her team's efforts, the result didn't sit well with her.

In the 72nd minute, Y/n had a wide open shot inside of the Netherland’s box. She uses her right foot to take a shot and the ball skyrockets towards the crowd, instead of going inside of the goal. At the time, she put her hands on her face in frustration and embarrassment. Considering how great of a striker she is, the missed opportunity came as a shock to USWNT fans. “Don’t stress it!” Y/n felt a hand on her shoulder, hearing the voice of her team captain over the loud crowd.

As the crowd dispersed and the players stayed to greet other people in the stadium, Y/n took a moment to collect herself. She sat on the bench, head bowed, replaying the game's pivotal moments in her mind. Especially the goal she missed. The girl never missed a wide open shot before. She knows that the World Cup pressure is intense but there were no excuses for that miss.

Amidst the whirlwind of emotions, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, tough game, huh?"

Y/n looked up to see a girl, around her age, wearing a Netherlands Orange jersey. #22. She had beautiful dutch braids that were frizzy due to the wind. Despite being on opposing sides just moments ago, there was a shared understanding in their eyes. They are athletes who know the highs and lows of the game.

"Yeah, tough one," Y/n replied with a faint smile.

Y/n got up from her seat and stood across from the girl. The girl introduced herself as Esmee. She explained she was a midfielder for the Netherlands team and had recognized Y/n throughout the match.

"I have to say, you were impressive out there," Esmee said earnestly.

“Except for that missed shot, of course.” Y/n frowned at herself.

“Everyone here has missed a shot before.” Esmee’s Dutch accent comforts Y/n.

Y/n’s frustration began to melt away as she engaged in conversation with Esmee. They discussed certain moments in the match, their one clash before halftime where Esmee side-tackles the ball away from Y/n, their respective journeys in soccer, and other people they’ve known on the pitch. Despite being from different countries, they found common ground in their passion for the sport.

As they talked, Esmee revealed the reason why she came up to Y/n in the first place.

“My friend, Ingrid, told me that you were going to join Barcelona after the World Cup.” Esmee confessed. Y/n nodded her head in familiarity, the girl met some of the FC Barcelona girls throughout the competition. Ingrid Engen being one of them.

“I am. I’ve already signed the contract because my contract at Bayern expired.” Y/n smiled and looked at Esmee, realizing the Dutch girl might be joining Barcelona too.

“Wait–are you joining Barcelona too?” Y/n asked. Esmee nodded her head and smiled.

They both laughed at the serendipity of the situation.

"Looks like we'll be teammates soon," Y/n said, a genuine smile spreading across her face.

Esmee nodded, returning the smile. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

“Do you want to swap jerseys?” Esmee nodded at Y/n’s request. The American went to grab her white #17 jersey and pulled it from over her head. She passed it to Esmee as Esmee handed her the orange #22 jersey.

As Y/n slipped on her new friend's jersey, the fabric enveloped her in a sense of comfort. The faint scent of sweat mixed with a hint of Esmee's perfume lingered, adding a personal touch to the garment. Adjusting the jersey on her body, she couldn't help but appreciate the subtle reminder of Esmee’s presence. Even if the girl is standing four feet in front of her. To y/n, it wasn't a creepy fascination, but rather a fond appreciation for the new bond they’re sharing.

This interaction didn’t go unnoticed by other players and news photographers who took pictures of this interaction. Lindsey Horan, the United States captain, talked to her Lyon teammate Danielle Van De Donk. The shorter Dutch woman nudged on the blonde’s shoulder before pointing at Esmee and Y/n.

Y/n didn’t swap jerseys with opposition players often. Usually, she will toss her jersey up to a USWNT fan in the crowd after a match. The Lyon teammates giggled before returning to their initial conversation.

(pretend you’re aitana bonmati in the picture below)

wosonews

liked by arnselfan347, yn.hive, and 12,947 others

United States International Y/n L/n (Bayern Munich) is seen exchanging jerseys with Esmee Brugts (PSV Eindhoven) from the Netherlands Orange team. Both players are heavily rumored to be joining Barcelona after the World Cup. Thoughts? 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇪🇸

comments

ynbrugts78 to me this is confirmation of them both joining barcelona omg🥹

billybob27 they're both great players. barcelona will be stacked

vandedonkhive 😍😍

wosocouplespage I ship

bayernwomen.56 same icl

chelseabluezz i wanted y/n to join chelsea with mia fishel🥴

arnselfan347 spurs were trying their hardest to sign y/n. i don't blame her for choosing barcelona, thats a great opportunity too 💙

manchestunitedwomens7 esmee come to manchester united ❤️

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It's mid-january and y/n settled into her new life at FC Barcelona pretty well. She impresses the soccer/football community with her quality and finishes in matches. Being the second highest goalscorer (behind Caroline Graham Hansen) in Europe wasn’t easy.

Esmee came to Barcelona the day before Y/n did in August. The duo couldn’t be separated on and off of the pitch. Their chemistry was undeniable, their shared passion for football helped their bond too. Through it all, Y/n and Esmee found solace in each other's company. As they trained and shared moments in Barcelona together, their friendship blossomed into something deeper, something they couldn't ignore forever.

Back on a saturday in October, the Catalan sky painted in hues of pink and orange, when their love finally came to light. Y/n looked at Esmee and couldn't resist the urge to kiss her while she was talking. She leaned in on the dutch who kissed her back immediately, as if it was a natural feeling to them. Y/n pulled back and smiled before Esmee leaned into her, being the one to Ignite the second kiss.

Y/n’s birthday is coming up in a few days and everyone on the team is aware of it. They all had a plan which involved getting “Esmee and her together.”

That’s right, the couple decided to keep their relationship away from the team. Esmee and Y/n believed in keeping their relationship to themselves before they’ll reveal it to everyone else. However, their attempts to act normal and platonic around each other didn’t work.

Ona, the second-closest person to Y/n on the team, teases her about Esmee. The entire team believes that their chemistry is undeniable too, why are Esmee and Y/n avoiding each other?

The short Spanish national went to a few of her teammates to talk about it. Salma, Lucy, Aitana, Bruna, and Mariona to be exact. At first, Aitana brushed it off as the two 20 year olds having a silly crush on eachother, until Ona explained the amount of times she saw Esmee and Y/n hug for “a little too long.”

Salma recalls Esmee jokingly tapping Y/n on the butt at training last week. When she asked Y/n about it, the American giggled about it and said that it’s just a “friendly joke.”

Mariona recalled another time where Y/n slipped up about sleeping over at Esmee’s house. The American didn’t notice her slip up, so the Spanish woman didn’t confront her about it. She decided to just let it go until she heard about others on the team seeing them flirt together.

Bruna came up with a plan that will start before the Levante game in the Supercopa tournament. At first, everyone agreed except for Salma and Mariona. Who didn’t want Esmee and Y/n to hate them for what the plan will include. However, Lucy adjusted a few things so Salma and Mariona would be comfortable with the idea, which worked.

“You know, I can’t wait for Salma to finally ask Y/n out after the game.” Bruna announced in a small training group before the Levante game. Ingrid, Mariona, Keira, Irene, Claudia, and Esmee were a part of the group. Mariona and Bruna had to tell the others what the plan between Esmee and Y/n will be. Most agreed to the plan. Ingrid was going to refuse to be a part of it, but relented.

Mariona looked towards Esmee to see the girl with her eyebrows slightly raised at Bruna, her lips were held together with a confused look. “Salma is asking Y/n out?” The Dutch asked.

“Yeah, Salma has had a crush on Y/n for a while. She has a good feeling about tonight's game and will ask her on a date if things go well.” Keira said. Esmee’s facial expression flashed between looks of jealousy and guilt.

She’s jealous because she knows the growing friendship happening between Y/n and Salma. The Dutch know that y/n would never do anything to betray her trust, but the feeling of someone adoring her just like she does made her feel uneasy.

Esmee felt guilty too because she likes Salma as a friend. She didn’t want to see Salma get rejected because Y/n is in a relationship that nobody else knows about.

“That–That's cool.” Esmee swallowed as she walked away from the group and towards the bench to grab some water. The girls giggled quietly knowing that Esmee felt jealous.

Another group away from the first one consists of Aitana, Salma, Vicky, Lucy, Cata, Marta, Ona, Caroline, and Y/n. The girl’s except for Y/n knew about their plan on “forcing Y/n and Esmee to confess their feelings to each other.”

“It looks like Mariona is flirting with her.” Ona speaks to the group as she looked towards the group with Mariona in it. Y/n didn't pay attention to what was said before until now. She curiously raises her eyebrows as everyone else looks over at the other group.

“Flirting with who?” Y/n asked. Mariona told her that she is interested in a girl named Lia Waelti, so she's confused about Mariona's supposed behavior from Ona.

“With Esmee.” Ona said. Y/n nearly coughed at this. The Spanish girls are extremely friendly and affectionate but y/n learned to adapt to it over time. However, hearing this news made the American girl’s eyebrows raise dramatically. She lowered them when she saw a few of the girls look at her.

“Oh. Does she like Esmee?” Y/n swallowed in nervousness. Lucy, who's on her left, tries her hardest to not laugh.

“I think so? She hasn’t said anything but she is overly interested in her.” Aitana said.

“Oh okay.... I’m positive it's nothing.” Y/n continued to do the stretching routine the girl’s were assigned to do as the Levante game started in twenty minutes. She did feel her mood change at the news, but nobody knew about Esmee and her. She couldn’t be mad if Mariona did like Esmee.

Two hours later, Levante is defeated by Barcelona in a 7-0 win.

Salma Paralluelo 12', 45 + 2'

Y/n L/n 24', 26', 64'

Caroline Graham Hansen 54'

Aitana Bonmati 57'

This wasn't Y/n's first hat trick of the season, but she felt relieved after the semi-final match ended. Now they''ll go play in the Supercopa Championship game.

Y/n placed on her green Barcelona puffer jacket and grabbed her pink prime water bottle, taking a good sip which hydrated her dry throat from the cold weather.

She took a deep breath before looking over to see Mariona talking to Esmee. A small lump formed in her stomach from nervousness. Y/n is confident that Esmee wouldn't do anything that she wouldn't want her to do, but the tiny bit of jealousy showed on her face.

"You should tell her how you feel." A voice broke through Y/n's thoughts. Salma's voice.

Y/n remembers that she didn't tell anybody about their relationship. Maybe it's time to tell Salma before somebody's feelings get hurt.

"We are already together." Y/n looked at Salma whose eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Salma asked. She felt nervous as she didn't expect this news after the plan she helped create. Placing her balms into her jacket pockets, her attention is fully on y/n.

"Esmee & I met at the World Cup. We were friends but we weren't so "platonic" after we moved here. In October we made our relationship official. We were going to tell you guys when we felt like the time was right." Y/n ranted to Salma. The Spanish girl nodded her head, realizing that everything is starting to make sense.

"I'm not shocked. Not surprised even." Salma joked. The two girls broke into laughter which didn't go unnoticed by the Dutch girl who finished talking to Mariona.

Y/n, with her radiant smile and effortless charm, seemed completely at ease while talking to Salma. Esmee couldn't help but feel a tiny pang of jealousy gnawing at her insides, a nagging fear creeping into her thoughts.

She bit her lip, her eyes flickering between her girlfriend and Salma. Remembering Bruna's conversation about Salma asking Y/n out, Esmee walked up to the girls before the Spanish girl had the chance to ask her girlfriend out.

"Great game you guys!" Esmee acted casual as she smiled, high-fiving Y/n and Salma. Esmee did play as a left back for all 90 minutes and assisted Aitana's goal and Y/n's third goal.

"Great game Esmee." Salma smiled back as she high-fived the Dutch back. She stepped back afterwards and looked at the duo in front of her. The happiness radiated off of her face seeing her friends who were confirmed to be in love with each other.

"Great Assists Es." Y/n grabbed Esmee's left hand and squeezed it twice before letting go.

"Y/n can I talk to you for a few minutes?" Esmee asked. Salma looked at the couple and took Esmee's question as a que to talk to them later. She said bye before walking to talk to Alexia, Frido, and Jana, who were injured and couldn't play.

"What's up?" Y/n and Esmee walked side by side as they're walking to the dressing room.

"Not much. Did you hear about any rumors coming from the girls lately?" Esmee asked. She hoped that Y/n had an idea on Salma's supposed crush on her.

Y/n swallowed nothing in nervousness, assuming that Mariona had interest in Esmee.

"Ona told me that Mariona is interested in you." y/n talked in a low voice. Esmee's jaw dropped and her eye brows raised, not expecting that to come out of her girlfriend's mouth.

"Wait what?" Esmee asked.

"Yeah. Before the game they said that Mariona was flirting with you." Y/n said. Esmee's eyes widened, she knew Mariona wasn't flirting with her at all because she already has her eyes on someone else.

"Before the game Bruna told me that Salma wanted to ask you out." Esmee confessed. Y/n nearly laughed at that information.

"Oh no never! Salma has a girlfriend in the WSL.... I can't believe the girls would tell us this." Y/n said.

Esmee nearly laughed before saying, "I believe they would. I think they were trying to make us jealous of each other."

The couple walked into the dressing room, getting ready to shower before leaving the stadium, then the girls realized that they're alone.

"You know.. your dribbling skills impressed me so much today." Y/n spoke seductively as she walked across the dressing room to Esmee, who sat down in the chair in front of her cubby hole.

Esmee held the side of y/n's toned thighs gently, pulling the girl into her lap. Obviously, this is nothing unfamiliar to y/n. She softly held the Dutch's neck, right under her braids, and softly kissed her lips.

Y/n had no awareness of her surroundings, she held on to her girlfriend as she felt her hands slide down to her butt, giving it a few squeezes. The girls made light noises.

As Esmee moved off of y/n's plump lips, going down her face then neck slowly. A few footsteps amplified with cleats approached the dressing room.

"Woahhhh!!!!!" Mariona yelled as she's the first to walk in the dressing room. Salma and Keira look over her shoulder, seeing y/n quickly stand up and walking away towards her own spot in the dressing room. Surprisingly, she wasn't embarrassed as much as anyone else would.

"I knew it!!" Keira laughed as she lightly smacked on Salma's shoulder in excitement.

Y/n look at Salma with a smirk and shook her head, Esmee looks away from the trio who walked in the room and tried not to laugh.

"We've been together since October. We confessed our feelings a long time ago." Esmee spoke with a smile, looking at Mariona. The Spanish girl wasn't surprised at all, only shocked that she didn't notice earlier.

"I told Salma earlier." Y/n commented.

"Hey, what's going on!?" Seventeen year old Vicky Lopez walked into the room with a bright smile. The curls on her head bounced as she walked towards her spot beside Salma in the dressing room.

"Oh nothing much. We just saw these two lovebirds in here." Salma talked to Vicky as she pointed at Esmee and Y/n.

"I knew it!!! They've always looked at each other with much love." Vicky responded to Salma.

After revealing their relationship to the team, everyone was happy. However, nobody was surprised. Esmee and Y/n didn't make much of an effort to make things secretive, and couples forming in Barcelona Femeni is not a rare occurrence.

Esmee and Y/n decided to confirm their relationship to social media a few weeks later.

(pretend this is you and esmee in the pictures below)

y/n.l/n and esmeebrugts

liked by aitanabonmati, alexiaputellas, and 31,623 others

for me there is only you 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

comments

salmaparalluelo lovebirds ☺️

wosonews OH MY GOD??!!!!

y/nbayernfan5 I KNEW IT OMG IM FREAKING OUT

ingrid_engen 😍🥰

y/nbrugts789 MY FAVORITE COUPLE😭💙

alexmorgan13 this is too cute ❤️

nswlwavefan so many woso couples spawn in barcelona lol 😂 so cute❤️

sophsssmith so happy to see you happy 🤩

brunavilamala 🥹

janafernandez3 I predicted it!!!!

---

an: hope you enjoyed :)

#esmee brugts #woso fanfics #woso x reader #oranjeleeuwinnen #uswnt x reader #wwc 2023 #fc barcelona #woso community #barcelona femeni

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wosoimagines · 9 days

Text

Surprises

part 1 of rivals

fifteen year old Jo Knox gets her first call up to the USWNT camp and she makes her first professional rival.

3,744 words

|next part

I sighed as I pushed open the door to the hotel. I was vastly aware that it was highly unusual for someone to be in my position. Especially walking onto a team of such a high calibration.

After all, how many fifteen-year-olds could say that they got the chance to play with the United States Women’s National Team?

Mia Hamm. That’s it. The entire list.

Well.

Before today, at least.

Or, I guess I would actually have to take the field before I could actually be classified as playing with the national team. But just being at a camp with the national team was huge. And to be doing it toward the end of the year before the World Cup?

I wasn’t sure what it meant just yet. It could mean that the coaching staff really liked what they saw in me. Or this could be a test to see how I could handle the pressure.

And I wasn’t sure which one I would rather it be.

I would have to tackle this just like I did at home. Stay out of everyone else’s way and get my job done. That’s what mattered. If I could prove that I was good at what I could do, who knows? Maybe I would actually have a future with the national team one day.

“Jo! Over here!”

I lifted my head to find a woman smiling at me as she waved. I sent her a small smile of my own as I moved over closer to her.

“Hi,” I softly said once I got close enough.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Jo,” the woman said as she held her hand out to me. I reached out to shake it. “I’m Dawn Scott. I’m the High Performance Coach for the team.”

“I’d introduce myself, but you already know who I am.”

Dawn let out a small laugh as her smile grew a bit wider.

“Come on, they haven’t really gotten far into the meeting yet,” Dawn said as she turned around. I dragged my bag behind me as I started to follow Dawn. “Jill’s excited to have you here. She wouldn’t stop boasting about you to Tom. Between us? Jill was very frustrated that Tom wouldn’t call you up.”

“And now she’s the coach?”

“Interim while the USSF tries to hire a new head coach. She was excited about getting the opportunity to add you to the roster though,” Dawn admitted. I was a bit surprised by that. I knew that I had been watched while I was with the youth teams, but I didn’t realize I had been watched specifically by the person they would trust to lead the team at this time. “It helps that Jill doesn’t mind risking chemistry to try out new and upcoming talent. Let’s face it, you’ve got a lot of talent already and you’re still nowhere near your full potential.”

“Yeah, well, outside of school, soccer is pretty much all I focus on. I mean, we all pretty much have our own thing in my family, mine just happens to be soccer,” I shrugged as we slowed down outside of one of the conference rooms. “With a family like mine? You have to do something to make sure that you stand out.”

“You can leave your bags just inside by the door if you’d like. I’ll have to go and sit on the side with the coaches, but you’ll have to sit with the players,” Dawn explained. That made sense. It would be even weirder if a teenager was sitting with the coaches rather than the other players. “There’s usually a seat in the back that’s open.”

“Thanks.”

Dawn nodded as she gave me one last smile as we both ducked into the room. I wasn’t too surprised when heads turned to stare at me as I left my bags by the door before I sat in the back left row. I tried not to let their stares bother me as I turned my attention to Jill. Jill wasn’t going through anything other than what I expected, just how we were going to have a tight schedule and what she was hoping to get out of this camp.

“One last thing before you can go! I have called up Jo Knox,” Jill announced as she peered over the others to look at me. I nodded as I avoided everyone else’s eyes. “I know some of you might not want to get along with a fifteen-year-old, but please make her feel welcomed. I’ve watched her on the field, and I think she’s got something special. You’re all free to leave. Jo, if you’ll stay behind.”

I waited in my seat as everyone else moved to leave. It wasn’t until most everyone else had left the room that I finally stood up. I moved to the front of the room as Jill was talking to one of the assistant coaches, but she turned her attention to me when I got closer.

“Hi, Jo,” Jill greeted me. I only gave a small nod in acknowledgement. “Look, I don’t want you to focus on being the absolute best right now. I just want you to focus on getting settled in and getting used to the team. Think you can handle that?”

“Yeah, of course, Coach.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Jill said. She held a keycard out to me. I took it before sliding it into my pocket. “You’ll be rooming with Becky Sauerbrunn. Becky will help make sure that you study for school. I know that you have final exams coming up.”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to study,” I nodded. It was one of the only reasons my parents had let me come to camp anyways. “My parents gave me certain grades to get on my finals anyways if I want to come back to camp during the school year.”

“Just don’t stress out too much between soccer and school. Don’t need your play suffering because you’re too stressed out,” Dawn said from the side.

I looked over at her before I nodded. I knew that she was right. I really didn’t need to stress too much about everything.

“You want to know a secret?” Jill asked. I looked back over at her before slightly nodding. “I already plan on calling you back up for the next camp, okay? I know that this is going to be a stressful camp for you with it being so close to the end of the school year and you joining the senior squad. I just wanted to get you into camp so you would have an idea of what it’s like. The only thing that will keep me from calling you up for the next camp is you getting injured. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“All right, all of your gear is in your room. Ryan’s got everything up there for you. We’ll get you into media here in the next couple of days,” Jil said as she looked over at the rest of the staff. I guess they weren’t all coaches after all. “If your gear breaks or wears down, including shin pads or boots, you tell Ryan and he’ll help you get new gear within the same day.”

My eyes landed on the man who sent me a small smile and wave. I guess that was Ryan.

“Okay, cool.”

“I think that’s about all that I have for you. I’ll let you get settled in,” Jill said as she sent me a small smile. “I’m sure the girls are dying to get to know you. They’re probably waiting on the floor to bombard you with questions as we speak.”

I nodded at that before I gathered my bags and headed to the elevators. I didn’t have to wait long for an elevator. Once I was inside the elevator and by myself, I sighed as I watched the numbers climb higher. I wasn’t entirely sure what was waiting for me at the top though. But I definitely didn’t expect for a majority of the players to be standing in front of the elevator doors staring back at me.

I shuffled off of the elevator but I didn’t try to push past any of the older players.

“Hi,” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck and looked down at my shoes. I really needed to get new shoes. And ones that weren’t hand-me-downs from Deliliah.

“God, you really are just a kid.”

I looked up to meet Megan Rapinoe’s eyes as she finished the statement. I only shrugged my shoulders. It wasn’t like I could change the fact that I was fifteen.

“So, are you any good, kid?”

I could only stare back at Abby. I mean it was Abby Wambach. I slowly nodded as I realized everyone was still looking at me for an answer.

“Well, I mean, I think I am at least,” I said as I rocked back and forth on my heels. “I’ve been playing with people older than me for all of my life.”

“Oh, yeah? How much older?”

“Well, I started playing with my club's U16 team when I was 12 and then I moved up to the U18 team when I was 14.”

“So you’re a prodigy?” Lauren Cheney asked. I only shrugged my shoulders at that.

I wasn’t sure that I would call myself a prodigy. I put in a lot of work into my game, but it did feel like soccer was in my blood. Like I was meant to play this game.

“As if some pipsqueak could get a ball past any goalie worth being on a national team.”

A lot of the players in front of me turned to the voice that came from the back of the group. A few even glared at the person. I could only look anywhere else but at the woman who had made the remark as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“I don’t think you could even get one ball past me.”

A few of the older players started to scold the woman while the others muttered amongst themselves.

“I think the coaches would beg to differ.”

All of the older players went silent as all of their eyes turned back to me. I still refused to make eye contact with any of them or even look at the woman as she pushed her way to the front of the group.

“The opinions of our coaches doesn’t matter if the facts state otherwise.”

“What facts? That I’m fifteen? I’m smaller than you?” I asked as I finally met Hope Solo’s eyes. “Everyone underestimates me. Everyone. And I thrive with the underestimations. And tomorrow, during practice, you’ll underestimate me and you don’t even know what I can do. You have no idea if you should or not. But you’ll do it anyway because of how small I am. Because of my age. And when I get that ball, every single touch will matter. And nothing you do will stop that.”

The two of us only stared at each other as Hope towered over me.

“Hey, break it up!” A new voice called out. Most of the women moved to the side, but Hope didn’t budge and I refused to break eye contact with her now. “I said break it up.”

Hope didn’t move. Not until Christie Rampone put her hand on the keeper’s arm.

“Just don’t be surprised when I crush your dreams tomorrow, kid.”

I watched Hope’s back as she turned and walked away from the group.

“What’s going on here?” Christie asked. I only moved my gaze down to my feet again. I didn’t want the eyes on me. Not like this. Christie’s gaze moved from me to the rest of the team when she realized that I wasn’t going to say anything. “I thought I told you all to back off the kid for now.”

There it was again.

Kid.

That’s all I was to everyone. Just some kid who had no idea what she was getting into.

“The kid’s got balls.”

I didn’t care who had said it as I pushed my way through them all so I could get to my room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hope wants you to take penalties against her,” Jill said as she looked down at me. I had my hands on my knees as I was trying to get my breath back after I had ran the length of the field to get the ball back before taking it back toward my team’s goal myself before I had gotten the assist. “You okay to do that?”

I stayed quiet as I nodded my head. I knew what she was doing. Hope either figured that I would chicken out and refuse to take the penalties or she would be able to stop them.

“No one can stop me,” I said as I stood up to look Jill in the eye. “That’s why you called me up, isn’t it? You saw that no one had an answer on how to stop me at the youth levels.”

“I called you up because you have potential.”

“You don’t have to lie to me,” I said as I looked over where most of the team was. “You can tell them that your decision was based on potential, but don’t lie to me . And now you’re curious to know if Solo can stop me.”

“I’ll admit, I’ve been a bit confused as to why Hope wants to try to humiliate you,” Jill said as she looked over at Hope. “But I did call you up because of the potential. I mean, if you’re already able to play the way you currently are and you’re only fifteen, what can you do in a year after playing with the best women in the world?”

“I want to do the penalties. I want to show them I’m not just some kid who can’t hold their own.”

Jill turned her gaze back to me as she stared at me for a moment. I knew that practice was about to wrap up so it made sense for us to do this now anyways.

“Gather up!” Jill yelled, causing most of the players to turn to where we were standing. “Just know that Hope added an extra stipulation to it.”

Jill tossed me a water bottle as everyone on the team gathered around Jill.

“We’re going to have a penalty shoot out! five shots just like an in game shoot out,” Jill announced. A few of the players groaned. I wasn’t sure if the team had to do something like this a lot or not. “Today’s shoot out will be a little different, though. Solo in goal for all five while Knox shoots them all. Majority wins, just like in a game. If Hope saves 3, outfielders run extra laps. If Jo makes 3, goalies run extra laps.”

I didn’t miss the way some of the older players were muttering to each other about the rules. This was quite unfortunate. If I somehow wasn’t able to make 3 of my penalties then I was really screwed because I knew that the older players would absolutely hate that I hadn’t been able to back up my talk from the previous night and be the reason they had to run extra.

“Line up!”

Everyone else moved to the midfield as Hope headed for the goal. I trailed behind Jill who picked up a ball.

“You really want everyone to hate me, don’t you?”

“I really want to see if you’re as good as you think,” Jill said. She glanced over her shoulder at me. “Score 3 of them and none of them will hate you.”

I sighed as Jill handed me the ball before she moved to talk to Hope. I stopped at the penalty spot before I placed the ball how I wanted it. I eventually moved back when I was sure that I had the ball like I wanted it.

I waited for Jill to finish talking to Hope before she moved to the side. I tried to ignore all of the eyes on my back. It was just a penalty, I didn’t even have to get past any defenders. I waited until Jill blew the whistle.

Then I waited one more moment as I finally picked my spot.

I rushed toward the ball before I put as much power as I could behind the shot. The ball sailed perfectly into the top left corner as Hope had just missed the ball by less than a fingertip. I didn’t miss the cheers behind me. I grinned even as Hope glared at me.

I stopped the ball with my foot when Jill kicked it toward me before I picked the ball up. I placed the ball back like I wanted it before moving back behind the ball. I waited until I heard the whistle. This time I didn’t give Hope any extra seconds as I was rushing forward as soon as I heard the whistle. The ball hit the top left corner again.

This was going well for me. I already had two of the three goals that I needed. And Hope hadn’t been able to stop even one. I took a deep breath as I placed the ball on the penalty spot for a third time.

I gave myself an extra moment again this time, but this one lasted even longer than the first time I had taken an extra moment. I just needed one more in the back of the net. This time the ball fired off of the sidebar before knocking into the goal.

The posts were still rattling as Hope threw a glare at me, but I only smirked and shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t actually care about myself having to run, but I had wanted to prove that I knew what I was doing. And it definitely helped that I had gotten to show off against the Hope Solo in the process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That was an amazing game,” Julie Foudy said. I grinned at the praise that I was receiving through the headset. “Tell me about it from your perspective.”

“You know, I just wanted to go in and show everyone what I could do,” I shrugged. It was true. I had really just wanted to show what I could do at this level. “I didn’t exactly expect to get a goal coming in so late if I’m honest. But I’m happy to have been able to help the team get the win.”

“And your first cap and goal comes against Canada. That’s got to be an amazing feeling,” Julie said as I nodded. It really had been amazing. “Knowing what our rivalry with Canada is like and having played them before. It’s a great game to get your first cap.”

“Yeah, it was definitely incredible. I don’t think I could have asked for a much better opponent to get my first cap against,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder where I watched as the rest of my team was headed to the locker rooms. “It’s definitely different getting to play in the game rather than just watching it on TV. And if today was any indication of how hard the games against Canada always are, I’m looking forward to future games.”

“Well, do you have any plans when you get home? I mean, you just got your first cap and it’s time for summer break.”

“Uh, not so much as fun plans right off the bat. I have finals to take when I get home,” I admitted. I rubbed the back of my neck at the reminder. “After that, I don’t have many plans other than soccer. Might take a trip to the lake sometime over the summer if I’m lucky. Just have to see what my summer schedule turns out to look like.”

“All right, well, I’ll let you get to the locker room so you can celebrate your first cap with the team.”

I gave the camera one last wave before I pulled the headset off and handed it off to one of the crew members before I headed down the tunnel. I was a bit surprised when I stepped into the locker room only to have water dumped onto my head. I couldn’t help the grin that broke out on my face though as a lot of the older players cheered around me.

“Okay! Okay! Settle down!” Christie called out. She had a ball in her hands as everyone settled down. “We have the game ball for Jo to celebrate her first cap and her first goal which gave us the win over Canada!”

Everyone cheered again as Christie handed me the ball.

“Go ahead and say a few words, kid.”

Everyone went quiet again as I rolled the ball in my hands. I wasn’t even sure what to say.

“I’ve been watching this team ever since I could remember. Some of you, I’ve been looking up to ever since I was a really little kid. Some of you, I’ve only been looking up to you in the most recent years. But it has always been a dream to get to play with this team and it’s been amazing to get my first cap with such an amazing group of women,” I said as I looked around the locker room. “I really can’t wait to get more training time at camps and work with all of you even more. And I guess the last thing is, I’d like you all to sign the ball so I can always remember who was here for my first cap.”

It didn’t take long until I had the ball back in my hands after the team had passed it around to sign it. Now I was standing in probably the only person in the locker room who still had a bone to pick with me. I held the ball out to Hope as she stared at it.

“Come on,” I said as I only pushed the ball further toward her. “It’d be a shame if I didn’t get the whole team to sign the ball. And last time I checked, you’re part of the team.”

Hope rolled her eyes but she took the ball from me before signing it. I grinned once Hope gave me the ball back.

“I still don’t like you that much.”

“You don’t have to. You just have to be my teammate.”

#uswnt imagine #woso imagine #leah williamson imagine #uswnt x reader #woso x reader #leah williamson x reader #uswnt imagines #woso imagines #leah williamson imagines #uswnt #woso #leah williamson

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thatsdemko · 1 year

Text

lie detector - c.pulisic

masterlist part two

requested: n

parings: Christian pulisic x athlete!reader

warnings: just a cliff hanger + it’s short

a/n: I’ve had this idea in my head for so long and yes don’t worry there will be a part two! whether you voted y or n on my poll here it is hehehe

you dated Christian years ago. things ended on good terms, and you couldn’t have been happier for each other. you never deleted the photos from your Instagram, as you must have forgotten they existed, so when the World Cup was going on, people were digging deep on Christian and found the old photos that still lied on your account. ever since then, you’ve received numerous follows, dms, and comments.

you weren’t someone who wasn’t used to cameras. in fact, you played for the United States women’s national soccer team. you were used to being framed next someone like Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe. you just never expected to be sitting in your current interview hooked to a lie detector being asked the question you dreaded the most.

“you dated this man right here, correct?” Linsey horan pushed the photo in front of your face allowing you to get a closer look at the brown eyed and brunette haired captain of the United States men’s soccer team.

“Yes, that’s Christian pulisic.” you said, you tried hard to remain calm, but you could feel sweat starting to build up at your forehead watching Lindsey giggle at the card in her hands.

“do you regret breaking up with Christian?” she set the card down shooting you a look, “I so badly want to know the answer.” she rested her chin against her knuckles anxiously awaiting for your response.

“umm,” you chuckled nervously trying to stay still so the reader could get a good indication on your pulse, “yeah I do. he was truly an amazing boyfriend and I wish him well in whatever comes next for him.”

Lindsey shot her head immediately over to the reader who nodded, “she’s telling the truth.”

“yes! the internet is going to go psychotic.”

—

christian saw the interview. his family, friends, and teammates had all sent him the video of you and Lindsey doing the lie detector test.

“he was truly an amazing boyfriend and I wish him well in whatever comes next for him.” the words replayed in his head like a broken record. he couldn’t get those words out of his mind, it had been over a week since the interview and he was so hung up on it that the next move he made, he didn’t even know he did it.

“hello?”

“is it bad that I miss you?”

#christian pulisic #christian pulisic x reader #christian pulisic one shot #christian pulisic imagine #christian pulisic x you #christian pulisic blurb #christian pulisic smut #football #football oneshot #football imagine #football imagines #football smut #football one shot #football blurb #football blurbs #football fic #football drabble #Chelsea #imagines

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leveloneandup · 2 months

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Tobin Heath and Christen Press have left a permanent mark on women's soccer through the life they established for themselves. Beginning as teammates before growing into lovers, then starting a podcast, Heath and Press have established themselves in their careers and beyond.

Tobin Heath and Christen Press were teammates on the United States Women’s National Team and were members of the teams that won the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019. They co-founded RE–INC with teammates Meghan Klinenberg and Megan Rapinoe to make the world a more inclusive and equitable environment for everybody. Heath and Press did not compete in the 2023 Women's World Cup and chose to co-found a new branch of RE-NC to create The RE–CAP Show to explore the world of women's soccer, the 2023 Women's World Cup, and the unexpected and thrilling challenges they experienced themselves on their path to success.

~~~

Having already experienced so many highs and lows in their outstanding careers, the RE–CAP show has transformed the way people see and understand the difficulties of competing in the World Cup, one of the world’s biggest sporting championships. Heath and Press are also having a long-term impact on how we gain insight into women’s perspectives on the game of soccer as well as using this platform to give their own input on the challenges and experiences they’ve had in their own careers. Press and Heath look to continue their professional careers as soccer players, but are currently not playing due to injury.

In coming years, we may see Heath and Press play for the last time, but their RE–CAP show will undoubtedly continue to expand and their legacy in women's soccer will carry on even when they are behind the screen rather than on the field.

#tobin heath #christen press #re cap show #article

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tooneys-russo · 5 months

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Boots and Broken Hearts

A/N: A new fic that I have been thinking about, it'll follow Alessia Russo and original character Willa Conti as they navigate their lives at UNC.

Chapter 1:

The right person, but always the wrong time, maybe one day they can get their timing right. Alessia grew up in the South of London, she had two older brothers and a football obsessed Father, Mario. Her weekends were filled with football, either her playing, her brother Gio playing, her father playing for a local side. Alessia had to play with boys up until the age of 12 due to there being no local girls team she could join, but that was the best thing that could have happened to her. Playing with boys had given her a hunger to be better, stronger and faster than the boys to make sure they wouldn’t have anything to say about having a girl on their team. At school she would often be picked first by the boys because they knew exactly how good she was. Her talents had her noticed by the England Development Team, she went to her first camp for the under 14 team at the tender age of 12. There she met her best friend Ella, they were inseparable from the first moment they met. They both featured in elite football academies although for opposing teams, Alessia for Chelsea and Ella for Manchester United, they would play against each other but nothing would change between them off the pitch no matter the result. When it came time for the two to take on professional contracts Ella was offered a full time contract at her junior club, Alessia made the biggest decision of her young life, well the biggest one at that time, she decided to leave everything she knew and went to college in the United States. Alessia made her stamp on the collegiate football world when she made her first start with North Carolina University.

In comparison Willa had a slightly different road to North Carolina. She was raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North East of England. She was chosen at the tender age of 8 to sign her first contract with Sunderland’s Junior Academy. Willa was tagged as an up and comer, he was a 12 year old playing in the under 16 side, and was placed into the England under 17 side by the age of 14. Willa had an outstanding junior career until she was 16, she was playing in the Under 19 European Championships, it was the final, the game she dreamed of. She stood in the opposition’s 18 yard box waiting for the corner to come in. As the ball soared towards her, Willa readied herself. The ball made contact with her head, then she felt a sharp pain to the right side of her face, then darkness. The Spanish Captain had attempted to clear the ball from the box, but instead she had kicked Willa in the face. It resulted in Willa being knocked unconscious, as well as slicing the right cheek, fracturing her cheekbone, eye socket and breaking her jaw. At that moment Willa had scored the winning goal and had her short career ended. She had her jaw wired shut for 2 months, headaches and concussion symptoms for 4 months and multiple surgeries to fix the shattered bones in her face. By the time she was cleared to play again Willa was 17 and without an academy contract. Her final year of high school was frustrating, she was surrounded by her friends from the academies who were on track for professional contracts, while she was playing division 4 women’s. Willa needed to escape from what could have been, so he sat the SATs and was on a plane as soon as she finished school, playing football (now soccer) at University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA. For four years she studied hard for her MBA while also being the star player of the UCLA Bruins Women’s Soccer Team, Captain from her Sophomore year onwards. She had a passion for analytics and would run reports of all stats for coaches each game, she knew she may never make it pro but she could make a difference on the sidelines. In her Senior year she played in the National Championship game and with 8 minutes until the end of the game her knee gave way. She knew exactly what it was, her ACL.

There were three years between Willa and Alessia, she had stared at UCLA and she had now made the decision to step off the field and begin her coaching and analytical career, her knee still gave her trouble after the reconstruction, each time she kicked the ball it felt different and she knew she was done at the tender age of 22. North Carolina was her lifeline and she took it with both hands. Alessia was away on an England Camp when Willa started. Willa had begun working with Anson Dorrance, the coach of North Carolina on their current team list, looking at game footage from both North Carolina and every other team that they were facing. Willa had never watched so much football in her life as she did now. By the time she met the players Willa knew everything that she could about the technical abilities of the players, she noted that Alessia had not arrived yet as she was still at the National Camp. Both she and Anson had begun working on the pre-season preparation for the team. Once August came around Alessia was back at North Carolina and at training. “Willa this is-'' Anson began. “Alessia Russo, 9 goals, 2 assists in your first collegiate season with a conversion rate of 43 percent, well 43.28 percent to be exact. Very impressive.” Willa had a bright smile and held out her hand to shake. Alessia was surprised by the woman in front of her with the Newcastle accent that sounded familiar, she seemed to know more about her than she did. Their blue eyes met as they shook hands. “I’m Willa Conti, pleasure to meet you Alessia.” She smiled and bit her lip gently. “Pleasure to meet you too, Willa. You seem to know a fair bit about football.” Willa laughed and let go of her hand.”Hope so. Might be disappointing if I didn’t.” Anson patted Alessia on the back. “Get on the park and join the team.” Alessia ran to join her teammates who were ecstatic that she was back.

After training Willa was going through the data from each player’s GPS and footage from the session. Her phone rang with a familiar name on the screen, her girlfriend, Jennifer. “Hey babe.” She sat back in her chair and ran her fingers through her long chestnut hair. Jennifer was not pleased at all that Willa had moved all the way to North Carolina away from her in LA, where she had just been recruited into the Orlando Pride Wave NWSL team. “Hi, you haven’t texted me back in hours. Too busy with all those North Carolina girls?” Willa could hear the anger in Jennifer’s voice and sighed knowing what was coming. “I have been running training and doing the analysis ready for this week’s first scrimmage.” Willa was being drained each conversation with Jennifer knowing that it would quickly become a fight. “Of course, well I have a game this weekend and I got you tickets. Are you able to come?” Willa looked up at the schedule on her office wall. “Yeah I should be able to. Will be a good game against Portland.” Jennifer hummed in agreement. “Yeah it will be good to see you, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, I will see you this weekend. Love you.” Willa’s tone was as happy as she could make it.

“Love you too babe.” Jennifer sounded a lot more upbeat than when the call had started. The two had met when they were both on the UCLA football teams, Jennifer was a local LA girl and they seemed to be pushed together instantly. Willa found her comforting but did admit that at times she was so focused on football that she did neglect their relationship, it was lucky that they were on the same team. But Jennifer didn’t seem to mind as long as Willa was at all the parties with her, all the games and on her arm when she needed it. Jennifer was gorgeous and could have easily gone into modelling, she had flowing brown hair that had a slight curl, bright green eyes that matched the trees when they would go hiking around California. Her skin was permanently sunkissed and a rose tattoo graced the side of her forearm. As a couple they complimented each other perfectly, Willa had mid back length chestnut brown hair that was usually in a high pony tail, blue eyes that were like a royal blue, her facial scars were only noticeable in particular light like a lion had scratched down her right hand cheek. Willa’s skin was tanned after being in the LA sun for four years, her Italian background had been particularly beneficial. On her left ribs she had a tattoo of the Newcastle United badge and the UCLA Bruin. The Newcastle badge was important to her, they were her team but they never had an academy, the only one close by who had a girls academy was Sunderland, her natural enemy. Jennifer stood at 5 feet 7 inches and Willa who stood at a comfortable 5 feet 10 inches. The two were the IT couple of UCLA Athletics and he sat next to her when she was drafted to the Orlando Pride Wave, it was everything she wanted and more, Willa opted to not go into the draft, not wanting to be disappointed. When Willa received her offer to coach and be technical analyst at North Carolina Jennifer’s response left a lot to be desired, her focus was on their future in Orlando Pride and what it would mean to do long distance how hard it would be. There was no consideration for what Willa wanted, which was all too common in their relationship.

Willa walked into the athletes dining room ready for another early morning session, she didn’t expect to see Alessia sitting by herself with a textbook by her side. Willa filled up her plate and sat next to the blonde Brit. “Good morning.” Willa smiled warmly, Alessia’s blue eyes looked up at her. “Oh hi.” She sat back and put her fork down on her plate. “What are you doing here so early?” Alessia glanced at the bag on the ground. “You know training isn't until later right?” Willa nodded, “Yeah I know, I just wanted to go for a run at the field, test some things out.” She laughed softly. “Test some things out? Like what the grass length?” She looked back into the older girl’s eyes. “Well depending on the grass length it would change the time that it would take the ball to -” Willa noticed the joking nature of Alessia’s question and the grin she was now wearing. “Ah, um no not the grass length just wanted to check the drills we had planned. Wanting to make sure we are improving on particular things.” Willa looked down at her plate embarrassed slightly about her first answer to Alessia’s clearly rhetorical question. Alessia smiled and bumped gently into Willa’s side. “Sorry, sometimes my sarcasm doesn’t translate. Is it possible for me to come with you to see the drills?” Willa smiled and nodded, unable to answer with her mouth full of food. The rest of their breakfast was filled with casual conversation, Willa discovered that Alessia had gone through the academy system just as she did, she also discovered that she wasn’t a huge fan of the tea available to her in the dining hall. Yorkshire tea was clearly the most superior tea, although with her time in America, Alessia was now very coffee focused, Willa noted that an oat flat white was the younger girl’s order.

Willa and Alessia made their way to the field, she made Willa feel comfortable with no judgement or expectations on her. Alessia felt an instant connection to the young coach, Willa took an interest in what she had to say and never once questioned why she would leave a professional contract behind for college halfway across the world. Willa and Alessia worked on multiple drills for around two hours, by the end they were both trying to catch their breath. “How were they? The drills? They alright?” Willa looked at the blonde next to her. “Well I am absolutely knackered, but I feel good and got to work on my first touch. What did you think?” She fixed her blonde ponytail. “Your touch is bloody good already, I just need your shot conversions a bit higher.” Willa laughed and she smiled. “Oh yeah? As a Sophomore I am out-scoring some of the Seniors.” Alessia put her hands on her hips and looked at the taller girl. “You won’t be playing against these girls in England, or at a World Cup. You are going to play in the best league in the world. The NWSL is dropping in quality and that's the league these players want to end up in. Not you, you have to play in Europe.” Willa said it casually as she grabbed her drink bottle. Alessia stared at her expressions, there was no mistaking that Willa was serious, she was almost matter of factly the way she spoke. Alessia was about to reply to the quite nice comment before they heard Coach Dorrance calling out. “Willa don’t keep the players from class! She is here for an education not just to kick a ball around, if her grades drop you will be tutoring her!” Willa nodded, “Yes Sir, sorry Alessia. I will see you tonight at training,I think we will be looking at some footage after the session. I want to chat to you about some plays.” Willa handed Alessia her drink. “Thanks Willa, appreciate it.”

Alessia counted down the minutes until training, it isn't that she hated her classes, it was just that she couldn’t stop thinking about getting back on the field. Her aim was always to get better, each session added to her knowledge. The second class was finished for the day she was walking to the field, after warm up she watched as Willa explained the drills that she did with her that morning. During the drills in the hot sun, the girls began complaining about getting tired, their shots got more sloppy and their passing became wayward. Coach Dorrance called training and they all came into a group together, Willa had a grin on her face as some girls sat down and others caught their breath. “Well, that was a fantastic session. Willa has been doing some work on what we have been lacking and how we can improve. I know you girls are tired but I will let her chat to you about what the aim was.”

Willa stepped forward half a step. “Each game goes for around 90 minutes, give or take with additional time. The training today was medium to high intensity for 120 minutes. That gives both Coach and I an idea of what level you can maintain and for how long. Your disposals and shots only became detrimental to the function of the drills in the last 5 minutes. We now know that you can last 115 minutes, at a very good intensity. This is going to give us an advantage, we will also be doing lighter sessions after game day and doing recovery but these punishing sessions will give you a mental and physical edge over our opponents. In those moments when the other team is fatiguing you will remember this training and other after this and you will know you can push further. Great session, have a shower and we will meet you in the theater for a film session.” Willa grabbed the drink bottles and passed them around to the players, when she got to Alessia he looked into her eyes. “Feel a bit better with more players?” Alessia took a large drink from her bottle and nodded. “Yeah I actually got a rest.” She said slightly out of breath after her drink. “Good, you did really great.” Willa went around to other players and chatted to them, giving them tips on their movements and positioning. Alessia noticed that Willa genuinely wanted each player to be better than they were at the start of the session, she seemed excited to be involved even if it was picking up cones or organising everything for the coach.

As the girls got ready for the film session a few of them talked about Willa and how nice it was to have a cute girl coaching them and how they wouldn’t mind getting a few one on one sessions with her. Alessia laughed along with the girls, she was very attractive physically but it was her personality that seemed to be the best part of the Geordie. The girls made their way to the theatre and out the front stood Coach Dorrance, Willa sat up the back with a notepad, Alessia saw her and made her way next to her. “Can I sit here?” She paused as she looked at the girl. “Oh yes of course, I want to show you something.” She moved down a seat. “I will be going through with as many players as I can like this to make sure I cover everyone's game.” Alessia noticed that she flicked through her notebook which was divided for each player, she got to her and the first page was full of notes on her past season. “Last season you played as a very solid number 9, the player that would be the main option for goals, I don’t want that to change but I do want to have a look at your off the ball work.” As the game footage played, Coach Dorrance showed what the opposition did that North Carolina needed to address and work on for the off season. Willa focused on Alessia’s movement and where she would prefer her to move, “It is just as important what you do off the ball as what you do on it.” Alessia was captivated as she talked, Willa was captivated by the way Alessia played. They both admired each other's passion for the sport and their drive to make either themselves or their teams better. At the end of the film session the girls started leaving Willa and Alessia walked out together into the car park. “The scrimmage game in two days, I want you to focus on getting into those looser positions, drag those defenders out of the danger areas to allow a player to come through. They will want to follow you and not be aware of the danger that is coming. Trust me, then on the next play you come around the back and get to that back post for the cross and just knock it in. Easy as you like.” Alessia stared at her. “That easy?” She nodded. “They all know you, you will be marked tighter than a compression sock. Use it to your advantage. Goodnight Alessia, great work today” Alessia watched Willa walk back towards her car, she changed her line as she got closer and walked towards a black BMW parked with its lights on. Willa’s head dropped as she got into the car, Alessia watched and got into her own car. She had no idea whose car Willa had gotten into but it appeared she knew the person.

Chapter 2

#alessia russo #woso fic #woso fanfiction

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