Looking at what to expect from CanWNT/CanXNT regulars Julia Grosso and Gabrielle Carle at their new clubs
A pair of CanWNT/CanXNT college standouts, Julia Grosso and Gabrielle Carle, signed their 1st pro contracts this past week. I look at what to expect from them at their new clubs.
It’s been a big week for some CanWNT/CanXNT college standouts.
First, 7 days ago, we saw Julia Grosso, fresh off of finishing her senior year at the University of Texas, sign a contract with Italian giants, Juventus, where she’ll kick off her pro career.
Then, exactly a week after that, we saw her fellow gold medal winning teammate, Gabrielle Carle, sign with Swedish side, Kristianstads DFF, where she’ll start her pro career after finishing her senior year with Florida State.
Overall, it’s two big moves for Canada, who will see Grosso and Carle, already key contributors to their National Team as college players, get an opportunity to take a big step forward in a professional environment.
Plus, they’ll do so by joining two very solid European clubs, both of whom either already play or will play in the Champions League next year, which reflects quite well on both Carle and Grosso.
So for Canada, who is looking to follow up on their Olympic gold medal triumph this summer by trying to win the World Cup in 2023, this is key, because the more players you have playing at top professional clubs, the better it is for their team in the long run.
Just take a look at two of Canada’s latest exports, for example, in Jessie Fleming and Deanne Rose, and what that’s done for them.
On one hand, you’ve got Fleming, who in her 2nd year for English giants, Chelsea, has already won 4 trophies and played in 5 finals, and has become a key part of that team, regularly starting in big matches for them.
Then, on the other, you’ve got Rose, who in her 1st year in England with Reading, has already scored 3 goals and 2 assists, helping her team stay in the push for a Champions League spot halfway through the year.
And those are 2 key parallels to note here for both Grosso and Carle. Much like Fleming did back in 2020, Grosso is joining a pretty big club, while much like Rose, Carle is joining a club where the profile might not be as big, but the opportunity to play right away might be greater.
(Plus, there’s the fact that all 4 decided to forego the NWSL, something that we’re increasingly seeing more top Canadian youngsters do).
Seeing how both Fleming and Rose responded to that challenge, that’s key, so because of that, it makes both Grosso and Carle’s moves exciting, as you can imagine that if all goes right, it could push them forward to big things in their career.
So with that in mind, here’s a look at what to expect from them now at their new clubs.
Carle checks out of a game for Grosso earlier this year for Canada (Canada Soccer/Gerard Franco)
Juventus (Grosso):
And to start, we’ve got Grosso’s Juventus, which has the potential to be a very strong move for the 21-year-old, who famously scored Canada’s winning penalty in the gold medal game earlier this summer.
Fresh off of a standout senior year for Texas, one where the midfielder scored 6 goals and 4 assists despite falling just short in the NCAA’s championships, the College Cup, in the 1st round, she felt poised to make a big move in some form or another.
Either to Europe, as she eventually ended up doing, or as an early pick in the NWSL draft, it felt like Grosso was destined for big things, making it no surprise that she eventually landed with Juventus.
But now that she’s with Juventus, she joins a massive club, one that currently sits 1st in Serie A, holding an 8-point lead over 2nd-placed Roma through 11 games, as well as on the cusp of the Champions League knockout stages, sitting 2nd in their group through 5 games.
Established just 4 years ago in 2017, they’ve quickly become the big name in Italian football these past few years, already winning the league 4 out of a possible 4 times, and look well on their way to picking up their 5th in a row so far this year.
Where they haven’t been able to make much of a dent, though, has been in the Champions League, where the furthest they’ve made it before this year was the Round of 32 (which no longer exists), making the 16-team group stage where they are this year a pretty big deal for them.
So if they could make it out of their group and into the quarter-finals, that would be even bigger for them, finally allowing them to sit among some of the big teams in the European landscape.
Because of that, it makes it a very interesting landing spot for Grosso.
By choosing a big team, she might not get the minutes that she’ll want right away, as she must crack the starting squad by strong performances in training and in the short cameos that she’ll likely get at first, but that’s the sort of environment that you don’t mind seeing players testing themselves in.
Just look at what it did for someone like Fleming, who was always a standout in college, yet had to fight for every minute that she’s gotten at Chelsea so far, and continues to do so, even as a standout player on their team.
So while it won’t be easy at first, that training environment will make a big difference for Grosso, especially as she comes out of college, as she’ll go from being the big player on a team to one where everyone is fighting tooth-or-nail for spots, since their livelihoods are (literally) on the line.
Plus, the good news is that by joining Juventus, she’ll also get a chance to dip her toes in the water for the rest of this season, as one advantage of joining the Italian giants midseason is that they’ll likely have a pretty good hold on the league by Christmas, especially considering that they’ve already won 11 out of 11 games so far.
What that’ll mean is that they might be more willing to get Grosso out on the field in league games, either as a starter or as a sub, allowing her to get used to the speed of play, as well as the standard that Juventus looks to play at.
She might not play as much in the Champions League, at least other than cameos here and there, but that chance to play in the league regularily could be key, and could allow her to get integrated faster than she otherwise might’ve.
Because of all that, though, it makes the season to watch for her the 2022-2023 one. By joining Juventus now, the next few months will just be a chance for her to get used to the environment and then the team, before really trying to push for a starting spot next year.
If she plays now, great, but if not, see the work that she’ll be putting in behind the scenes as a sort of audition for next season.
And you can tell that’s the goal by having her signing so early.
Typically, a lot of college players might’ve waited until next summer to make a decision (or in the spring if they chose to join an NWSL team), joining their new clubs later, but by going to Europe right away, Grosso is clearly looking to break into the Juventus team as soon as possible.
So overall, there’s a lot to like about this move from her standpoint. It won’t be an easy adventure, but she’s got the talent for it, and now she’ll get a taste of what it takes to make it as a professional.
Because of that, it’ll be interesting to monitor her progress, because once she adjusts to her new surroundings, it’ll boost her stock massively with the National Team, where she’s on the cusp of becoming a regular starter in midfield under head coach Bev Priestman.
Always one of Canada’s most promising players, that’s exciting, because in the small glimpses we’ve seen from her for Canada, there’s been a lot to like, and that’ll only continue after a move like this.
Kristianstads DFF (Carle):
Otherwise, though, Carle’s move to Sweden is also a very intriguing one, because while it’s not the move that many expected her to make, it could prove to be a very good one to leapfrog her career.
After a strong senior year with Florida, where she won the College Cup for the 2nd time, scoring an impressive 3 goals and adding 6 assists from full back, you just had to imagine that she had a big move lined up.
And make no mistake, while this move might not have the cache of a team like Juventus attached to it, this is a very shrewd move for Carle to make at this stage of her career.
It might not be talked about as much as it should be, but Sweden is a very competitive circuit, one that has seen 4 different champions in the last 5 years, meaning that it isn’t as much of a one or two-horse race as it might be in the other leagues.
Plus, the standard is pretty high, too, which is reflected in the fact that in the last few years, Swedish clubs have consistently made it to the Round of 16 and quarter-finals of the Champions League, for example.
So seeing that, it’s pretty exciting that Carle is joining a Kristianstads team that finished 3rd in the league last year, qualifying for the Champions League qualifying rounds in the process, as she’ll have a chance to get her feet wet with a very good team.
What’s good, too, is that this Kristianstads team is on the rise, too, having finished 3rd in the Swedish league 2 years in a row, which is pretty solid considering that before 2018, they’d never finished above 4th. That also meant a cameo in the Champions League this past year, and while they didn’t make it past the 1st qualifying round, they’re also keen to do better in their second go-around at it this upcoming summer.
For the 23-year-old Carle, that’s key, because not only is she joining a good side, but one that appears to be on the rise, too, which fits perfectly with her profile.
And on top of that, the Swedish league is a heavily scouted circuit, meaning that if she plays well for her new club, it won’t be long until some of the big clubs will take a look at her, making it a very good stepping stone club, especially for one right out of college.
First, though, her goal will just be to get on the field and playing, and one perk of this move is that by choosing Kristianstads, she’ll have a great opportunity to do so right away, too.
One thing about the Swedish season is that it runs on a different calendar than most leagues, as due to the cold weather that descends on the country for most of the year, their calendar is from the spring to the fall.
What that means is that Carle’s season won’t actually kick-off for a few months now, meaning that she’ll have a chance to do a full preseason for her new club, which is massive, especially for a player entering her first professional environment.
Because of that, the path is set up for her to earn minutes right away. She might be a new face, but she’s entering the club with as good of a shot as any to earn minutes, and that’s not a bad thing at all for someone coming out of college.
With a big season ahead for them, one that includes those Champions League qualifiers in the summer, Carle can potentially step in and find herself on the teamsheet a lot sooner than she might’ve at other clubs, and that’s key.
And that’s good news for Carle and Canada.
Obviously, it’ll be good for Carle’s career to go pro, but it’s also good for Canada’s depth, because much like with Grosso, it doesn’t hurt to have more young Canadians testing themselves in environments such as this one, especially one close to starting for Canada, such as Carle.
So overall, there’s a lot to like with this move. It might not be as big of a splash as another move might’ve been, but it’s a shrewd one that could see Carle get on the pitch right away, kicking off her pro career with a bang.
Plus, if all goes well, even bigger moves could be on the way, which is also an exciting possibility to consider, too.
Looking Forward:
So seeing all of that, there’s a lot to like with these pair of moves.
From the players’ standpoints, it’s good, because both are joining good clubs, and have set themselves up nicely to kick off their professional careers in solid fashion.
And from Canada’s perspective, they’ll be happy about that, as that’ll only increase the level of competition in their player pool, which is only a good thing.
As two regulars on this Canadian team, but two who haven’t regularly started pushing for starting minutes yet, that could change with these moves, especially if they start to get minutes with their new clubs.
Because of that, keep an eye on these two as they kickstart their professional journeys over the next few months. Big things are coming for them, and these moves are just the start of that, as there is much more still to come.
After a big year for Canadians playing abroad, that’s exciting, and shows why it’s been a pretty good time to be a Canadian soccer supporter and follower.