Can Jaedyn Shaw fill the void left by Megan Rapinoe in the USWNT?
As Rapinoe prepares to hang up her boots for the final time, we take a look at the teenager soccer sensation who could fill the void left by the departing legend.
Football
In 2004, Megan Rapinoe scored in a third-place play-off against Brazil in the Under-19s Women’s World Cup, two years away from a senior USWNT appearance.
In October of the same year, football prodigy Jaedyn Shaw was born.
This month, the two will link up together for the upcoming USWNT camp, which will see the Americans play a friendly double-header against South Africa (22 and 24 September).
The second of those will be held in Chicago, as Rapinoe hangs up her boots and calls time on her playing career after over 200 caps, 63 goals, and 73 assists.
Shaw, meanwhile, has never played a game for her national team, with this camp marking her first-ever senior call-up.
One illustrious career comes to a close, while another is just beginning.
With Rapinoe bidding farewell to the game she loves, Olympics.com delves into the USWNT newcomer who could fill the void left by the departing legend.
Jaedyn Shaw: “I have always wanted to go pro”
18-year-old Shaw has her sights set on making it to the very top, reaching a legendary status that only a few stars ever reach – much like Brazil’s Marta.
While idolising the icon no.10, there are also a handful of other ballers she looks up to.
In an interview with JWS, she revealed her desire to ‘dribble like Neymar’ and ‘drop a pass on a dime’ like Kevin de Bruyne.
As far as the latter goes, it seems she has already mastered the art of a line-breaking pass, with club coach Casey Stoney describing her vision and ability as ‘some of the best in the game’.
Her sheer desire to succeed can be chalked down to the inclination to go pro.
Shaw initially began her career as an indoor player, jetting across the world to the likes of Brazil and Barcelona to play in tournaments, before eventually taking to the grass.
The rising star does, however, admit that she relies on the help of her family to stay grounded and block out the noise that comes with being a professional player.
“I lean on my mom a lot,” she told JWS.
“I was like like, ‘Mom, you be the bridge between all the stuff that’s going on out there and what’s going on on the field’, and I think that has helped me a lot.
“I think a lot of it was just not me overhyping games and stuff; knowing that I belong where I am, I deserve to be here.”
Jaedyn Shaw: Taking the NWSL by storm
San Diego Wave manager Stoney has described eager-to-learn Shaw as an ‘absolute dream’ to manage.
The teenager joined the NWSL mid-2022 season, scoring three times in seven games as a 17-year-old.
This season she has continued to be a nightmare for defenders, registering seven goal involvements (five goals, two assists) in 19 games.
“She has nothing on her mind other than being the best player in the world,” her club coach told the media.
“She’s very coachable, she wants to be the best.
“For me, it’s just making sure that she’s patient enough in her journey and that she sees the process rather than the outcome all the time.”
Her rise to the top has not been without its challenges, however.
At 16, she tore her ACL - arguably the most prominent injury in the women’s game, with a lengthy road of recovery that follows surgery.
“I think when it really hit Jaedyn was when she came out of surgery,” her mother, Ann, told Goal.
“She finally had a visual of both her legs and she just saw how her thigh muscle had basically shrunk to nothing.
“At that point, she was just completely heartbroken.”
Despite being so young, Shaw took the injury in her stride and was soon back on the field with a new sense of gratitude for the position she is in.
Now she is determined to play her role in growing the women’s game and inspiring those that follow her.
“I want to break ceilings and I want to be someone that can change the women’s game and help the younger players coming up after me,” she concluded to JWS.