It has been an interesting time for players across the world but in particular for players in the National Women’s Soccer League. After beginning preseason training and the season just weeks away from kicking, play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With individual training now starting up again across the league players, coaches, and teams are having to kickstart their season again under new circumstances.

Our own Sean Maslin spoke with Allysha Chapman of the Houston Dash and the Canadian Women’s National Team about resuming her training with the Dash and her experience in getting ready for the season while at home. Allysha has played professionally for the last nine seasons, joining the Dash in 2018. In addition she has been capped by CANWNT 68 times, including at the 2016 Summer Olympics and at two World Cups. 

Sean Maslin: So the Dash started individual training this week. How does it feel to be back and how do you feel things are going so far?

Allysha Chapman: It is a step in the right direction. It is nice to actually be able to use a quality field and even though we don’t get to train with small groups or teammates it is still nice that we get to go to our training facilities and use our fields. It is kind of hard to come up with some things to do when it is just the two of us but it is definitely nice to be back. 

SM: How have the safety precautions changed the way that you get ready and prepare for training? 

AC: So we have to get there a little bit early just to check-in and we have to go through a symptom checklist and have our temperature taken. We also have to wear a mask when going to and from the field. If a ball gets kicked off of our field then a field marshall has to go and get it-we are not allowed to go onto other people’s areas. 

SM: During the shutdown what was the training and workout plan like with the Dash? 

AC:  We did have a lot of Zoom Meetings. We would get together once or twice every two weeks and have a trivia night or ,as we would call it,  Forced Family Fun [Laughs]. We have also had Zoom Meetings with inspirational speakers and individual plan meetings as well as unit connects with just the defenders. So there have been a lot of meetings [Laughs].

As far as physical training I have still been following my K Soccer training plan and it just gets tweaked and changed as the start of the season was pushed back. I have been doing a lot of running and I have a pretty good home gym set up.

SM: While at home did you pick any new hobbies or finish off any new books or TV shows?

AC: So when this all started I signed up to foster dogs and have been doing that this entire time. I have had eight so far which has taken up a bunch of my time. 

SM: The Dash made a lot of changes in the offseason. How are you feeling about your team going into the season and the chance of having a strong year?

AC: I am really excited about the season ahead because I think because James [Clarkson, head coach of the Houston Dash] was more guided towards making sure we are going to compete and he really picked up some good pieces that will be key for us this year. Everybody on the team is really excited, there are a lot of fresh faces, and I think it is definitely going to be a much better season than last year.

SM: How did you get into soccer?

AC: Growing up, my parents put a lot of emphasis on sports. The first sport that I actually tried was T-Ball when I was four and I absolutely hated it. I just had way too much energy for it so the next year they put me into soccer and I just loved it. I scored a lot of goals so that is maybe why I loved it although I don’t score too many goals nowadays [Laughs]. But I have been playing soccer since I was five and I have loved it ever since then. 

SM: Growing up, what players did you look up to?

AC: So my family was a hockey family growing up.  I would watch the [Toronto Maple] Leafs constantly and so the player I looked up to was Tie Domi because he was undersized and always in the penalty box. It is kind of weird but I always kind of looked up to him. 

SM: What is a cooler feeling: Getting the chance to play in a World Cup in Canada or medaling at the 2016 Summer Olympics?

AC: You can’t really beat the 2016 Summer Olympics. That was a pretty unreal experience. Being able to sweep our group, which is kind of unheard of in Canadian, I think was pretty special. 

SM: A lot of kids right now are stuck home and not able to play with their teammates. If you could give them one piece of advice what would it be?

AC: If you have a ball, you can use it. You can find room in your living room, in your background, or in a park  and as long as you are keeping your social distance from people I would say get out there and get touches on the ball. That is the most important thing for me when I don’t touch the ball I lose it a little bit. So make sure you get your touches on the ball, get on to FaceTime with your friends and teammates, and try to do everything that you can to get you through this difficult time.  

*Photo by Jose Castellanos