US defender Julia Ashley targets Adelaide United success after turning down NWSL opportunity
US defender Julia Ashley turned down her home-state club after being drafted to the world’s best women’s soccer league. Instead, she has embarked on a global football adventure that has taken her to Adelaide United.
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It seemed like the dream scenario for Julia Ashley.
Fresh helping powerhouse North Carolina to a national final following a standout college career, the US defender was taken at pick No. 6 in last year’s NWSL draft by Sky Blue FC.
It handed her the chance to cut her professional teeth in the globe’s best female soccer league at a club based 20 minutes’ drive from her hometown of Verona, New Jersey.
Instead, the American youth international opted for a different route, which has taken her first to Scandinavia and now Adelaide United.
“It was a really tough decision for me,” said Ashley, who began last year at Swedish top flight outfit Linkopings.
“It would have been really great to just travel down the road to play.
“But in the previous two years, Sky Blue had a lot of issues off the field.
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“I was getting a lot of advice from my parents, my agent and a lot of girls who were actually playing there at the time and it kind of led me towards not playing there.
“To hear all those different opinions about the culture of the club at the time, it was my decision to go abroad to experience something new.
“It probably did surprise some people, but ... it was the right decision at the time.”
Ashley, 23, was not alone in rejecting Sky Blue.
No. 2 pick and now three-cap international Hailie Mace also turned her back on the club in favour of a stint with Melbourne City and later Rosengard in Sweden.
Ashley had to overcome surgery in June to trim the meniscus and shave bone spurs in her left knee, her third operation on the joint.
But she said the challenges of her maiden overseas adventure shaped her as a person and a player.
“You really learn so much about yourself going abroad,” said the product of renowned US talent factory Match Fit Academy.
“It’s so different and I can’t say it’s an easy task.
“You think you’re independent in college and then you have this whole new culture and you can’t speak the language or read nutrition facts on groceries.
“It was tough, but I grew so much and my character developed.”
The centre back has evolved at heart of the Reds defence alongside captain Amber Brooks, another North Carolina graduate who helped facilitate Ashley’s move Down Under.
She was hopeful of securing a trade from Sky Blue, which still owns her contract, to another NWSL side during this weekend’s draft.
Before then, Ashley is targeting bottom-placed Adelaide’s first win of the campaign, when it meets cross-border rival Melbourne Victory at Marden Sports Complex on Saturday (7pm).
“It’s been a great experience so far (at United), other than our record,” said Ashley, who has played every minute of the Reds’ frustrating season.
“I’m learning a lot, especially being next to Amber (Brooks) ... and our team atmosphere is excellent.
“We’re not playing poorly.
“We just need to lock in for the whole 90 minutes and not shut off.
“It’s a matter of turning on and being ready to execute and finish in the final third, and then taking care of it defensively.”