Seattle Reign announced the contract extension of midfielder Maddie Mercado through the 2025 NWSL season. Coming off a debut year that gave fans a glimpse of her potential, the 23-year-old is ready to continue her journey with the club. From the management's enthusiasm, it would seem Mercado has all it takes to become a mainstay of the team's growth in the coming years.
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Confidence in Mercado's talent
Few could have predicted how much Maddie Mercado, the 27th overall pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft, would be capable of in such a short amount of time. The renewal underlined Lesle Gallimore, the Seattle Reign general manager: "Last season, our fans saw glimpses of her potential that was quite great. Maddie is a young professional who has immense talent, possesses a winning mentality, and makes every training session, every match, and moment on the field better.
Gallimore also pinpointed something big: the ability of Mercado to shine in moments of decision. Those kinds of players, who perform at their best when needed most, are not easy to come by in soccer, much less in a competitive league like the NWSL.
Looking ahead to 2025
The numbers might not pop for Mercado from her first season, but five NWSL appearances and a goal in the club's final regular-season match against Orlando Pride made for a lasting impression. Furthermore, her performances in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, with one goal and an assist in three games, proved she can contribute when given more minutes.
She has been developing her game in a similar vein since college. During her time at the University of Notre Dame, Mercado scored 26 goals and had 12 assists in 94 games, making her a consistent player with potential to improve.
Speaking after the renewal, Mercado said: "I learned so much in my first year as a professional and can't wait to keep developing around this team and within this culture.