I'll just post the obvious, for some gifted athletes a college education does not have as strong of a lure as a professional career. That may be because of society, the person (and their relationship with society), or what currently comprises of a college education. Did I leave anything out?

where the men's game has always been: College is detrimental to development compared to the professional setting.

Korbin wants to be a world-class player, and she has the talent to do it. If that's her goal, PSG is a far better environment than any NCAA school.

round players of equivalent skill with variety of experience. I've watched as a Portland Thorns fan how far Olivia Moutrie who became pro at 13 and sued the NWSL so she could play. This is a girl who at 11 accepted a full scholarship offer to play soccer for UNC when she reached college age, becoming the youngest girls' soccer player to publicly accept a college offer at the time. So instead of UNC currently at 17, she's a seasoned pro who has a good chance to start on NWSL defending champ Thorns this cming season. She;s been developed well and mentored by experienced players most noteably Christine Sinclair.

But the real story of success forgoing elibility has to be Sophia Smith, also a Thorn, who with Covid could have played 3 more years at Stanford after that 2019 National Championship. Instead she leaves early, becomes #1 NWSL draft pick, and as a 3 year pro she's a 4 time champion (NWSL Championship-2022, NWSL Challenge Cup-2021, NWSL Community Shield-2020. & Women's International Champions Cup-2021) and in 2022 she achieves NWSL season MVP, NWSL Championship game MVP, and US Soccer Female Player of the Year. No wonder Christine Brennan wrote the linked article: "How Sophia Smith Has Risen to the Top of Women’s Soccer"

Obviously Players like Michelle Cooper and Korbin want to follow Sophia's path. Still what Olivia did may become the new model. Even with Cooper's talent she wasn't picked #1 in the NWSL draft as Alyssa Thompson went straight from high school to become the #1 pick in 2023. She gave up her 4 year scholarship to Stanford she had accepted to instead turn pro. I guess it's the way it will be.

• Click here for link at https://flipboard.com/topic/portlandsports/how-sophia-smith-

The women's game is getting more popular, as recent costs for buying coastal franchises indicate. However, there aren't that many teams that will be able to pull players out that early.

Still, there will be those, many of whom have been cited in this thread, that will go and -- yes -- they'll progress to the next level faster.

There are others -- like Eva Gaetino -- that have already leaped past the evaluations given them coming out of high school and clubs, that benefit from being at college. I'll expect Eva to follow in the footsteps of, say, Katie Naughton who has a solid career playing for Chicago and Houston.

There is no replacing an Albert, who is the proverbial singular talent. However, let's see who -- given the opportunity -- can take a leap forward, much like Olivia Wingate did her last two years. Could, for instance, Kiki Van Zanten be moved back to the forward and develop the sniper's touch?
Or Maddie Mercado get a tad more accuracy on her outside-the-box shots and mimic some of Korbin's blasts? Stay tuned.

While true, sometimes real life gets in the way - marriage, job, family, etc.
I think this thinking doesn't take into account the college "experience" the player will miss.

But I wish her well - her play always reminded me of Carly Lloyd, especially when Lloyd was at Rutgers