Photo Courtesy of Taylor Schneider: Schneider played at Arkansas State for three years before graduating in 2018 and moving to Australia to play professionally.
Moving across the world to an unfamiliar country might seem daunting to most, but one former Arkansas State soccer player snatched the opportunity to continue her soccer career far from the comforts of Shadrachs, friends, family and the places she called home.
Taylor Schneider leapt at the opportunity to play soccer professionally in Australia after she finished her career at A-State in 2018. Schneider, a three-year veteran for the Red Wolves, proved a forceful presence in a holding midfielder role at A-State.
The 4-3-3 is a versatile formation. Here, just one of the many variations is shown. The three midfielders can be moved around in various combinations to suit the play styles and skill sets of various players in the squad.
“Probably one of the more underrated positions on the field is that holding midfielder,” A-State head coach Brian Dooley said. “Depending whether you’re a 4-3-3 with one holding player or a 4-3-3 with two holding players. When we used Taylor there we used her as one because she was dominant in the air, a very physical player, didn’t shy away from challenges and protected that area in front of your center backs effectively. That allowed us to use the other two midfielders with one in a pure attacking role and the other in a transitional attacking role. That allowed us to add a player to the attack. It’s been tough to replace her. We did it this past year with Sophia Restrepo who brought a different set of talents to that position.”
A St. Louis native, Schneider boasted an extreme competitiveness on the pitch both in practice and game situations.
“She has that extreme competitiveness whether it’s a game or training,” Dooley said. “She demanded that same kind of effort from her teammates. Those are attributes that almost every successful professional player has. Training isn’t a time to just goof off and get through the day, it’s a chance to get better and that was her mentality. I think that helped us as a team bring our intensity levels higher in training.”
The St. Louis area provides A-State with multiple talents and three players in the incoming 2020 class hail from the second largest city in Missouri. Some familiar Red Wolves, Megan McClure, Olivia Smith, Sarah Sodoma, Victoria MacIntosh and Hailey Schue all came from the St. Louis area. Lou Fusz Soccer Club rolls out the talent.
Photo by: SoccerSTL.net |The St. Louis Connection: In a high school match, Sarah Sodoma dribbles while Taylor Schneider (middle) and Victoria MacIntosh (right) look on at their future A-State teammate.
“There is a significant number of top level clubs (in St. Louis),” Dooley said. “Whether it’s St. Louis Scott Gallagher and they have various levels. The ECNL is generally the top level and they have a premier level and a USY, they have all kinds of different levels. Then you have the Lou Fusz club. That’s where Taylor played and a number of her teammates. Taylor, Riley Ebenroth and Kelsey Ponder all played together on the club level. Then the second wave of our Lou Fusz kids are the Sarah Sodomas, MacIntosh, Hailey Schue and Olivia Smith. You had kids who were constantly competing at the highest level. The other thing that makes St. Louis unique is the high school level of St. Louis is actually a really good competitive level.”
Dooley said Schneider became a strong leader for the Red Wolves in her time in Jonesboro. A-State center back Julianna Coates was a friend with Schneider off the pitch and also had to form a good relationship on the playing field with the now-pro. The dynamic between a holding midfielder and a center back is important as the positions are entwined during the flow of the game.
“It takes a lot of trust,” Coates said. “You have to rely on them to help screen you and have your back if you get out of position they have to fill your space as quick as possible. She always had my back and I always had hers. It was a good working relationship between us.”
While speed may not have been Schneider’s best attribute as a Red Wolf, she made up for it in physical play.
“She wasn’t the fastest, just like me,” Coates said. “But we were both able to control people in a way. Like, just aggressively with our bodies. It obviously made my job so much easier having her in front of me. I really enjoyed playing with her. It was a lot of fun.”
Photo Courtesy of Taylor Schneider: Schneider leaps for a header against Coastal Carolina in an A-State match at home. Julianna Coates looks on to Schneider’s right.
Schneider graduated from A-State in December 2018 and just a few months later she was in Melbourne, Australia in a new life as a professional soccer player. Schneider played for Alamein FC in her first season as a pro and has now signed for Heidelberg United FC for the 2020 season.
“When I graduated I had an agent and everything,” Schneider said. “He basically just told me there was this opportunity. It felt like all the pieces were falling together. He called me and within a couple of days I said yes. Within a week I had a visa. Two weeks later I was basically here and I’ve been here ever since.”
The St. Louis native arrived in Australia and had to adapt to a new lifestyle.
“It was nice because I had a host family,” Schneider said. “They were amazing and they helped a lot with transitioning away from my family. It’s pretty hectic because there are so many things you have to figure out and learn to live on the other side of the world where I literally didn’t know anybody. It was crazy but then it also helped me learn a lot about myself and gave me the confidence to do a lot of other things, so I’m really grateful for it.”
In college Schneider’s schedule revolved around soccer and in Jonesboro she did not have to worry about making time for the game, that was a given already. However, in Melbourne the then first-year pro had to balance life and soccer carefully.
Alamein FC and Heidelberg United both play in the National Premier League Women’s, the second division of Australian women’s soccer. Schneider said the level of play in the league was about the same as the Division I level in the United States but learning the playstyle of new coaches from different parts of the world was one of the most challenging aspects of becoming a professional player.
Photo Courtesy of Taylor Schneider: Schneider battles for the ball at Alamein FC.
“It was different from it being like the only thing I did to me having to work and make an income because women don’t get paid enough,” Schneider said. “I had to work a job and have a life and I also play soccer as well. It’s more of a balancing act I guess.”
Schneider adapted to the busy life of working as a professional both on and off the pitch.
“It takes a lot out of you,” Schneider said. “I was working a full time job when I first got there and then going to practice during the night and then games on the weekends. It’s really tiring. I’ve moved to part time and I’m getting paid a little more for soccer now so that has helped out. So I’m able to focus on fitness and my game a little bit more. Men are just able to play soccer all day and get better and continue to grow and work out. They don’t really have to worry about doing anything else. We have to have something to take care of ourselves, so it’s hard.”
In the women’s game today, pay gaps and variances in wages between men’s and women’s soccer is a hot topic. How the women’s game moves forward in terms of building leagues and clubs is also a discussion in today’s game.
“When proper resources are put into (women’s soccer), it’s profitable,” Dooley said. “So you look at the women’s World Cup, at the highest level, to the point that FIFA was even throwing the idea of trying to have the women’s World Cup every two years, which is ridiculous. But, someone’s realized we can make money. So, that’s always going to drive the development of the sport: how can the big people make money? How can the sponsors get their moneys’ worth? That’s been proven at the highest level. In turn, has that filtered down to where it should to where the women’s players are compensated properly? Absolutely not.”
This variance in pay and the arguments along with it are evident on the highest level of women’s soccer as seen in the US women’s national team’s ongoing fight in an equal pay lawsuit with the US Soccer Federation. However, talks about pay and resources in women’s professional leagues like the National Women’s Soccer League in the US are also conversations starting to pop up around the country.
“I think collectively the game has more popularity,” Dooley said. “The women’s national team is an event. The NWSL is not, except maybe in Portland where they average almost 17,000 people to a game. I think Utah has a pretty good attendance as well. North Carolina, who has won the league the last two years in a row, is still growing. If people put resources in, it’ll continue to improve. And if it continues to improve, those resources will eventually filter to the players.”
Although working a job and playing professionally is tough, Schneider said living in Melbourne is amazing. Living in Melbourne also meant being closer to places Schneider had always wanted to travel.
“I love this city,” Schneider said. “Ever since I first got here it has felt like home. It’s just very different than what I’m used to but I think it’s also why I love it. There’s a lot more cultures and they’re more forward thinking. A lot of the companies or people here think outside the box. They’re open pretty much to anything. It’s one of those cities you go to and you have the vibe you can be whoever you want to be and you’re accepted for it.”
Schneider works for Tennis Australia and got the opportunity to work at the Australian Open as she furthered her professional career off the pitch.
“Outside of playing soccer, I’ve always wanted to work in sports,” Schneider said. “(Tennis Australia) basically puts on the Australian Open and I got to work the entire tournament. We’re hosting people and hosting clients. I’m in the sales team so we do corporate hospitality for the Australian Open. It’s been exciting and I’ve learned so much. The Australian Open is obviously so huge and amazing and it takes over Melbourne. It’s just part of living in Melbourne and being Australian.”
Back on the pitch, Schneider had to adapt to a position change. The collegiate defensive midfielder spent a lot of time at center back in her first year as a professional. In today’s game players are more flexible and excelling at one position then moving to another is not necessarily uncommon. USWNT player Crystal Dunn excelled as a forward and midfielder early in her career and then went on to be a star left-back for the USWNT.
Olivia Smith illustrated flexibility in the Red Wolves’ 2019 season as the junior mainly played left-back and right-back, but she also contributed in the midfield and at forward.
“I think in Taylor’s case moving to the professional level it didn’t surprise me they could see her playing as a center back because of her dominance in the air and her ability to distribute,” Dooley said. “Those are skills that are necessary there. As a player, certainly when you go into a new environment, you want to get on the field as fast as you can. Your skill set based on the system of the team might allow you to play other roles.”
The A-State soccer team competed in an outstanding 2019 season as the Red Wolves finished third in the Sun Belt Conference and played in the championship game of the SBC Tournament. The Red Wolves can also boast the fact the program has produced a professional player.
Photo Courtesy of Taylor Schneider: Schneider shows off her ability in the air and goes in for yet another contested header.
“Taylor is a unique individual because she had aspirations to play at the next level even before she came here,” Dooley said. “I think what it does for A-State soccer is it shows we’re a viable path for people that have those same goals.”
Coates said she also sees herself as a professional soccer player after her time at A-State. Much like Schneider, any Red Wolf looking to the pros after college might not land first in the NWSL, but instead somewhere overseas. Countries like Australia, Finland, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Iceland and England all provide potential opportunities for future pro Red Wolves.
Hannah Godfrey, a former SBC and South Alabama standout, currently plays for Tottenham in the FA Women’s Super League in England.
Schneider said she does not exactly know where her soccer career is heading next. She plans to see how this season goes with Heidelberg United and if she progresses soccerwise, a move to another league in Australia or even Europe could be on the cards. One thing is for certain, Schneider has an intense passion for the game and the former Red Wolf’s engine will not be running out anytime soon.
“Ideally, I’ll be playing soccer until my legs fall off.”
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