Foxhoven Preps for WPS Draft

Colorado Rush Alum and former Boston Breaker Jordan Angeli recently had the chance to interview former Portland All-American Danielle Foxhoven as she prepairs for the WPS Draft this week.

Only a few years ago, many female's soccer career's ended after college because of lack of opportunity to play in the US. Now, entering its fourth year of operation, the Women's Professional Soccer league provides hundreds of great female soccer players the chance to continue playing at the next level. As the days before the 2012 WPS draft are nearing an end, one hopeful Rush Alumni anxiously awaits to see if her name will be called. A recent graduate of the University of Portland, Danielle Foxhoven was a member of one of the best Colorado Rush girls team to go through the club. We caught up with Danielle before the draft to see how she is feeling and preparing for this day.

Jordan Angeli: The WPS draft is only days away, what are your feelings about the draft?
Danielle Foxhoven: I am very anxious about the upcoming draft.  I would love the opportunity to play in the US with girls like Marta and Christine Sinclair, but I also know that it will be a very tough draw with only 5 teams.  That makes it tough for anyone coming out of college right now to try to play here because there are not many spots open.  So, if nothing comes up here I am very excited about the opportunity to play in Europe!

JA:The draft is going to be webcast live on womensprosoccer.com. Are you going to rearrange your training schedule to watch the live webcast?
DF: With no school or other team commitments it is fairly easy for me rearrange my schedule. So yes, I will absolutely be changing it to watch the draft!

JA: What are you doing now in preparation for your first season as a professional?
Well when I was home in Colorado, we had alumni week and alumni week continuation which I believe to be the best training a woman could get.  In addition to that, I have been running and doing circuit training to keep my fitness up.  Since I have been back in Portland, I have been training with FC Portland boys and some girls who are also here in town.  I also recently got called into camp with the U-23s which will be great training and be fun to be playing with a lot of the girls I have been playing with on youth national teams again.  

JA: You were back a few weeks ago playing in our Alumni Week, how do you feel that has helped you prepare for this upcoming year?
DF: I thought it was the best training a female could get.  The Rush has the best training atmosphere anyways, and then to be able to come play with guys like Colin Warner and Jeb Brovsky or Mike Piserchio was just incredible.  It was fun and challenging! I don't think anyone else, male or female, is getting training like that! The pace of the games were just so much faster than any women's game could produce and that challenged me to be that much faster. Plus, it was a huge confidence booster when me or Lindsey Horan were able to make the boys look silly and score! ha!

JA: As a Rush Alumni, what did you learn during your time with the club that you continue to implement in your game today?
DF: I learned more than I could ever write about, but I would say the most important thing I still implement in my game is passion.  I have found that the passion the players from the Rush have for the game is not a common thing.  We live this game and wear our hearts on our sleeves every time we step out onto the field, but it is not like that in most soccer.  Secondly, I think something that sets me apart from a lot of other players that the Rush gave me is that I am not the biggest or strongest forward, but I have to set myself apart through being a smarter player.  I can remember playing small sided with Tim Schulz and he would yell at us telling us to stop running because we were just making it harder on ourselves.  We had to be smarter and run smarter to play around the other team.  I still hold that lesson dear to me because it allows me to play around the other team rather than out run them.  (Danielle and younger brother Zack at Rush alumni week in December)

JA: I know you are also exploring other opportunities to play around the world. Let us know some of the other places/leagues you have interest in playing in.
DF: I am very interested in playing in Europe.  I don't have any preference about where I go, but I would love to play for any of the top clubs in Europe. I think teams in Germany or Sweden would be fun, but I am open to any teams that are offering an opportunity to play.  

Be sure to tune into womensprosoccer.com on Friday, January 13th at 12 pm MT to see the selections in the 2012 draft. We at the Colorado Rush wish Danielle the best of luck and know with the passion she has for the game, she will find a place to continue playing the game she loves. 

Want more on alumni week? Check out Jordan's interviews with some of the alums in attendance.