Bonus episode!! In this very special edition of Butchertown Rundown, Bekki interviews rookie midfielder Savannah DeMelo about her first impressions of the club, how everyone's getting along, and how welcoming the Louisville community has been!
Bonus episode!! In this very special edition of Butchertown Rundown, Bekki interviews rookie midfielder Savannah DeMelo about her first impressions of the club, how everyone's getting along, and how welcoming the Louisville community has been!
Interview conducted Feb 23, 2022 via Zoom
Butchertown Rundown Extra Cuts Episode 1: Talking With Savannah DeMelo
Introduction
You're listening to Extra Cuts, a special episode of Butchertown Rundown, part of the Beautiful Game Network.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Hello everybody, this is Bekki Morgan One of your hosts of Butchertown Rundown, the only podcast dedicated to Racing Louisville and I am here with a very special episode of the podcast that we're calling Butchertown Rundown: Extra Cuts.
These special episodes will be released periodically and will feature bonus content like interviews with players or staff, or if something absolutely crazy happens that is so unbelievably exciting that we have to talk about it right now instead of waiting for a regular episode to drop...who knows? Maybe we'll drop an extra cut.
Today we're kicking it off with an interview with Racing rookie midfielder Savannah DeMelo. This is actually the first interview in a series that I'm doing with all of Racing's rookies that I'm really, really super excited about. They are going to be tied into my writing at the Beautiful Game Network, so some will be released here as special episodes of the podcast and some will be released as articles on BGN. So make sure to subscribe to Butchertown Rundown so you don't miss anything and be sure to check out all the great Racing Louisville content that we have on Beautiful Game Network at www.BGN.fm
But let's get back to the real reason you're here. Our talk with rookie midfielder Savannah DeMelo.
Savannah was drafted 4th overall by Racing in the 2022 NWSL College Draft. She's a California native who played for the University of Southern California in college and has a long history of playing on the youth national team. Despite suffering a serious Achilles injury in 2019, DeMelo was able to come roaring back in 2021 and start every match for USC and earn four goals and seven assists on the year.
During our chat we talk about everything from her first impressions of Louisville and the city and the differences between her native home of LA and Louisville - there are a lot of them - and how she feels the team is getting built so far.
But enough talking about it. Let's actually get to the interview. So without further delay, here's our talk with Savannah Demelo.
Interview
Bekki Morgan (host)
To start out. What is your soccer origin story?
When did you start playing and when did you realize, hey, this is something that I really want to do with my life going forward?
Savannah DeMelo
I actually started soccer really late. I actually didn't start playing until around like 8 years old, and I mean nowadays that's really late like my sister started at 4, but I was a gymnast before. I was really into being a gymnast. Loved it. And then my grandma actually signed me up to play AYSO soccer, and that's when I started and I loved it ever since.
My dad played soccer and he was never really into like having me play it. He was like if she wants to, I'm not gonna like force her. So I started when I was eight years old. Then I was picked up by a club team and I was in an AYSO game and one of the coaches thought I had potential so he said, yeah, you can come play for our club, went to the club, then the club transformed to Beach and that's the club I played at ever since I was ten years old.
So that's kind of how I started.
Bekki Morgan (host)
So do you think that not being pushed into it made it more attractive to you, like the fact that you weren't signed up and told, like, OK, this is what you're going to do now. Dad played soccer, so now you're playing soccer.
Savannah DeMelo
Oh for sure, and I think that has been a trend with my family. It's always been something that I loved.
And yeah, my dad loved soccer. He played for a really long time. He was even my coach but me and him had such a good relationship where he was my coach when he needed to be and he was also my dad and he really pushed me to like play other sports, hang out with my friends. I had older cousins that I did everything with so my life wasn't just soccer at like a young age, but it was my favorite part of my day.
Bekki Morgan (host)
So that's interesting that you say that because I've talked to Emily Fox at the end of last season and she said that she's noticed even from when she was a kid, that there's been a major change in sports culture in general and how kids are treated, and that you're always doing foot skills and you have to do this, and it's a job for children. It's not fun anymore, have you noticed that trend?
Savannah DeMelo
So for sure so my two younger sisters play too and I see it everywhere I go. ‘Cause my dad trains a lot of younger girls and I just see how different it is to how it used to like.
It used to be me wanting to go practice. I would always bug my dad: Hey I want to go to the gym. Hey I want to go play soccer sometimes my dad like hey, let's go like play and I'm like OK sure I know I need to get more fit. But it was always something driven by me, and nowadays it's just a burnout culture.
I feel like kids start at 4 and that's all they do until they're however old. So I definitely think that's gonna like be really bad for kids when they're older and just in general.
But I feel like I was lucky enough where it was kind of just something I loved and still love to this day.
And I always tell my parents like I want to play for as long as it makes me happy for.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Just a little more background on you, a little bit. What are some of your biggest skills or attributes as a player in your own mind?
Savannah DeMelo
I definitely think I know the game really well. I love watching games, so in a situation I think I could think my way out of it. Know how to handle a situation. I'm definitely more of a possessive type player, which is why I think I love how Kim has incorporated a possession based style into Racing because I know I don't think that's how it was in the past.
But I definitely love possession. Reading the game, solving problems throughout the game. I like dribbling like I'm attacking mid so I love to dribble out of tight situations.
Yeah, I think just my soccer IQ. Kinda knowledge of the game and my dribbling abilities and passing abilities, but it kind of makes me stand out 'cause I'm not the fastest or like the strongest. But I do think my technical ability kind of helps me.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Yeah, great. So while you were in college, you suffered a major Achilles injury. Is that correct?
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah
Bekki Morgan (host)
What's it like going through an experience like that and having to work your way back into form all while being kind of on the cusp of your pro career? 'Cause it was your junior year that you injured?
Savannah DeMelo
Right, yeah, well it was kind of a crazy accident.
I was at the top of my game. I was getting seen by certain teams like national teams, so it was definitely like really hard moment for me just to like sit back and reflect on my college experience thus far and I kind of was upset with myself because I do think like I over exerted my body so being injured I was like OK I can't play anymore and I was in a boot for three months. Crutches for three months. And I was like, so I'm going to do everything I can to enjoy other aspects of my life.
I think just like how I talked about the burnout, I burned my body out so it was hard not being able to play. But I do think it was kind of a reset button for me. And gave me a different perspective of the game. OK, 'cause instead of being able to play it, I was able to like kind of watch from the sideline.
My coaches were awesome throughout the whole experience. They gave me scouting reports to do. I was always traveling with the team so it kind of just gave me a different perspective of the game and a new love for the game that I that I think I took for granted before the injury.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Was there any question in your part ever about whether you continue to play, you know? Was there ever a part where you're like this injury is so bad I want to transition to other things? Like you said, like maybe even thinking about coaching, scouting. Or was the goal always getting back in and playing professionally?
Savannah DeMelo
The day I tore it the next day like me, my coaches were talking about what my next step was like OK, I'm going to be out for the 2019 season, but I'll be back in April. I'll be ready for the 2020 season and then I'll just like go from there.
So I think it was always a matter of coming back just for me and for like my coaching staff and my trainer was about doing it right and making sure I wasn't rushing back into it because it was such a severe injury in long term even though like 'cause that it took me a year and a half to come back fully and thankfully for COVID it gave me the opportunity to like be able to recover longer without any pressure of a season.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Its kind of ironic that that ended up working out with Covid.
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah, like the silver lining, but it was more about just making sure that I healed like healing correctly because I did want to play 10 plus years and go into pro and being able to do all that.
Bekki Morgan (host)
OK.
Savannah DeMelo
It was it was a bad injury, but I had my family. I traveled a lot. I got to just see things from a different perspective.
I think it made me hungry or two to come back and be like I don't ever I don't want to stop this for a really long time 'cause it took something away that I truly loved.
Bekki Morgan (host)
And you don't really know how much you miss something until it's taken away from you so that's a good perspective to have.
You alluded to this already, but you have a long history of playing in the national team youth system. You were in the squad for the U20 World Cup in 2018 with Hillary, Jalen and Emily as a rookie coming into a very new environment. Was it helpful? Knowing a number of these players beforehand?
To kind of ease the transition.
Savannah DeMelo
Oh yeah, me and Foxy were actually together for the 2016 World Cup U20s.
Bekki Morgan (host)
That's right, that's right.
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah, so I've known Fox for a really long time. Hillary I knew through Club 2 and national team and Jaelin I've known from the 20s too.
And it's just so awesome coming in because I know these players are so similar to me, both from a mental standpoint and like a soccer standpoint of where we want to be, like the professionalism of each of us. But also us four, we love to just not talk about soccer.
Savannah DeMelo
We have a life outside of soccer like you were saying about Emily Fox.
So it's just awesome being with players like that 'cause it makes the transition from club or I mean from college to professional like that much easier when you have such good strong friendships already to like lean back on.
Bekki Morgan (host)
So even if you did know a few players ahead of time and that was helpful, this is still extremely new squad with an extremely new team.
How do you feel now that you have a couple scrimmages under your belt? You know a couple preseason games. Do you feel like you're getting good chemistry both on and off the field? Do you feel like you're really starting to gain more momentum towards the way you want to look when the season actually starts?
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah, I can. Uh, 100% say that I was kind of scared coming into like a professional environment just because of egos. And like how much older players are than us. But this team has been nothing but welcoming and I never have been honestly like a part of an environment like this, not even like my college team I don't think was as close as this team is becoming.
Like yesterday, we just went to the beach to like hang out on our off day and I think I've just became so so close with so many of the other players, not even the ones that I have known. But like other ones and it just feels like a family and I think that goes such a long way on the field because in the game yesterday or the other day against Florida State, it was so hot and like we were all exhausted but we were willing to do the work for each other. Because we have that much respect for each other and for this group and this family that we want to do well for each other so that we can all succeed.
So I think that's something that's that you don't get in a lot of professional environments, and I think that's something that, although we are all like amazing technical soccer players that I think are gonna do well having that family role. And like family perspective is going to help us a long way too.
Bekki Morgan (host)
So you think that really provides an edge? Just even in terms of like you said, how hard you play for each other. Do you really think that that's something that you know it's gonna be a while before you all learn each others once and and what you want on the field. So do you think that will help push the edge?
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah, yeah, I was just talking to one of my friends about it. I feel like when you make a relationship strong off the field on the field you're more willing to like if someone yells at me. I know it's coming from a place of they want me to be better and they'll care for me, so I'm gonna like listen.
Whereas if none of us talk to each other and someone yelling at me on the field, I'm like she's just being rude, especially for a rookie like me like I'm just trying to take in like all the information I can and give what I can give OK.
'Cause I think it's different if it's like I'm not very close with people and you're trying to tell me what to do if they can come from like a rude perspective, but I think everyone is willing to listen to everybody because we all know that we all want what's best for the team rather than just an individual.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Is some of the you know one in need in coming together is that is that coming from the players and just how you naturally get together is that coming from the coaching staff a mix of both you know? Or is it something the clubs encouraging? Or is it something that's just happening naturally?
Savannah DeMelo
I would say all the above. Definitely the club. I know James is really into the cohesiveness of this team, and I think just from last season to this season, I think there's a lot of changes in having standards. Being accountable and having just like a good bond with the team.
'Cause we are together all year round, so we're not going to be best friends with everybody. But I think the fact that we all like get along and enjoy each others company just makes it that much more fun and that much more enjoyable.
But I definitely think it comes from the coaching staff too. They put stuff together like bowling. We went bowling the other week, went to the beach yesterday. We're on this trip in Florida, all hanging out. So I definitely think it's come from the coaching staff, but they can do all they want.
But I think the players have also put in a lot of like oh OK. Instead of just being on our phones at dinner, we're going to like try to talk to each other.
We sit with different people at dinners or really trying to like become a team here in the family and I think it's been awesome and I think it's been showing in our games.
Bekki Morgan (host)
But you know, uh, a lot of veterans that they're in a completely different place in their life than rookies can set themselves apart, not because they're bad people or anything like that just 'cause you know. You're 10 years older and doing something that completely different level of your career in life, you know you might just have less to do with with younger people.
How do you feel like the veterans like Jess McDonald and Nadia Nadim and Gemma Bonner have have been to the rookies?
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah, they've been awesome. I've talked to all of them multiple times.
Nadia just got here and I've already talked to her a bunch of times. All awesome people.
Like you said, it's like different. Obviously Jess has her son. I think what makes this so awesome is that when she's with us, she is fully with us and talking to us. Cause it was funny she was at a table with like me, Hillary and Jaelin and we're just all talking about what, uh, what our favorite snacks were when we were in like middle school. So I think her putting that effort in is just awesome because I don't think a lot of veteran players do that.
And Gemma has been awesome. And Nadia has been awesome. They've always been great and I think they're really ...I think it's just their personality too, but I think they're just doing a great job of trying to reach out and get to know all of us better and kind of bring us under their wing and show us what they know about being a professional in, I've already learned so much about them off the field.
Bekki Morgan (host)
No, that's that's wonderful.
So you are in Florida right now, obviously, but you were in Louisville for at least a few weeks ...So what are your first impressions of the club and the team environment like the facilities the housing? I guess the stadium you can't really talk about too much yet.
Savannah DeMelo
We passed by the stadium me and me and Jaelin have driven past it and we get so excited every time we drive past it. 'Cause it is so cool looking so we've definitely we've seen it.
But the facilities are unlike anything else. My agent was telling me before I signed that he was like, yeah, like this place will literally treat you like a professional.
And I think coming from LA there's just so much going on that you're never really like, yeah we...I went to USC and I was like a student athlete, but it wasn't a community like how Louisville is and I've never experienced that. 'Cause I've lived in California my whole life, there's five plus professional teams. There's everything you can want to do.
So I think coming to like a smaller city and having like so many people support you is just awesome.
We come, everyone, jokes around like I love Quills, the coffee plates and...
Bekki Morgan (host)
Oh, I do too.
Savannah DeMelo
It's awesome and I see people with like bumper stickers see like Racing Louisville everywhere and I just think it's such a unique experience and I think like how I was saying about the team.
I think we have the community too that like is like our family to support us. But yeah, the facilities are awesome. It feels like college.
Honestly we go in super professional. We have our lockers. We get our breakfast or lunch. We have our strength plans. We go to training. We have our showers. We get our gear.
It's just they treat us like such professionals and I think it makes you want to do everything you can to stay here. Stay in this environment and also give back to like the community.
And like I know Mark, I'm super close with Mark Lynn, who's our vision trainer and he's just he's awesome. Like what he's done for like not only me with my vision already, but just for all the girls. It just makes me want to give back to like our community, it's just it's a great. It's a great environment.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Have you been recognized yet? Because you will. If you haven't yet. I know Gemma Bonner had a pretty funny story that she, like literally arrived in the US and was like in the supermarket, and probably, you know, still in jetlag and someone came up and was like, oh, we're so happy to have you here and she was like, wait, who are you?
Savannah DeMelo
So I had someone on Twitter actually say like I posted, like a Instagram story of me at quills, and then she posted on or she's like, oh, I saw some Louisville girls. I want Sav to know like her vanilla oat milk lattes. So it was so funny so I thought that was funny, but I just see stickers everywhere and then they always ask like, oh, you're part of the professional team like yeah, we're rookies and then they're like Oh yeah, like we saw your celebration video with your family in the draft. I'm like, oh, that's so cool!
In LA no one ever talks to you anyways. Thing like everybody loves to talk in Louisville and like talk to each other and I love that 'cause I'm like a huge talker. But in LA everyone just literally has like their heads down and like, doing their own thing.
Bekki Morgan (host)
I'm originally from Philadelphia, so it's a little more like the LA attitude like I don't know, it probably not as much, but still, like you, don't just make conversation with people you're standing in line next to at the checkout and it took me a while to get used to it when I moved here.
Savannah DeMelo
(feigning surprise) You're asking how my day is?
Bekki Morgan (host)
What?!
Yeah, it's it's nice, though. I mean everybody is so nice and especially with Racing I mean it like really is the big thing in the city. You know it is THE sport and it's really embraced.
So the Challenge Cup is really coming up pretty soon. Are you guys getting excited about being in the stadium environment?
Savannah DeMelo
Oh yeah, super excited, it's like less than a month away I think.
Now yeah, yeah, we are so pumped and I think that it’s like it's kind of like a countdown till that first game and I think all the pieces are coming together and I think we're learning a lot and we're just trying to be better as best prepared as we can for that first game.
And I think we're gonna take it one game at a time, but super excited. It's going to be like a lot of the girls first time I think we have a lot of young players, so I think it's gonna be a lot of first debuted just wearing the jersey.
It's gonna be an awesome experience, but I think we have the talent and we had definitely have the chemistry to do well.
Bekki Morgan (host)
That's wonderful. I love to hear it. Changing topics a bit. The NWSL obviously had a very tumultuous season. In 2021 a whole lot of stuff came out, but I guess the silver lining is that there has been some positive change that's been made, particularly the signing of the collective bargaining agreement.
And you know the advancement in allowing things like free agency and severance pay.
As a rookie entering the league, do you feel that the league is moving in a positive direction?
Savannah DeMelo
Yeah, I definitely think even with the US national team that just came out how they got the $24 million lawsuit like finally signed and all that I think all these things are coming together and I think we're finally getting the recognition and what we deserve.
And like we were always saying, we're not asking for like these crazy, crazy things. We're literally asking...
Bekki Morgan (host)
Not at all.
Savannah DeMelo
...as professional athletes to get the minimum. We're not even we were getting the below minimum. We're just asking for the minimum and I think as we get more and more like fans to our stadiums it's just going to keep growing and growing and I think a lot of the players who have come before me have worked tremendously hard to even get it to where it is now.
Amy Rodriguez is our new assistant coach at USC and she was talking about like Yep, I remember when we were making $8000 a year and I'm like it's kind of in awe because I was just in the club you know, just doing my own thing and it's just kind of crazy what all those women have done just for us to get to this point.
It just kind of makes us want to keep doing that so that girls who are younger than me can have better experiences and maybe even be able to stay in the league longer because they're making more money, whereas now people don't stay in the league, not because they don't love the sport, but it's because listen I have to buy a house I can't live off this amount of money which is, it's like suck 'cause no professional athletes should ever have to decide that because of money. So I just think it's awesome. I mean, this CVI happening was awesome, so I think it's just going in a good direction and hopefully with the World Cups coming up, hopefully soccer can get more recognition in the women's game, can get more recognition as well.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Do you feel like things are really changing in women's soccer right now? Because outside of the CBA? You know so many expansion teams are coming in there two this year level was last year and Utah moved to KC. There's rumors of you know potentially 2 more teams coming next year. Who knows about the year after that? Do you feel like you're at a time of just like exploding growth in in the entire sport and do you think that that's good, or do you think it's almost making it a little unstable?
Because it's all just happening so fast?
Savannah DeMelo
No, I think it's great, I think.
Honestly, the more recognition we can get and the more teams we can get, I think the better 'cause I even think in Spain and in Europe, Barcelona is selling out to Real Madrid games like they're selling out the Camp Nou like and it sucks that it all has to happen like Bang Bang Bang because it's like been at such a delay. This should have been happening like three years ago.
Yeah, but I do think it's good 'cause then once it starts getting more recognition then we can work on like the finer details of like OK Hey this we need this differently but I do think what's most important is just expanding and getting more recognition to this.
Bekki Morgan (host)
OK.
Savannah DeMelo
That's great, but I think it's awesome 'cause it's happening in Spain. Here. I know the Australian leagues like getting a lot more recognition like more fans. So I I'm glad it's happening too at the global level and not just in the United States.
Bekki Morgan (host)
And also finally, in the United States truly at the club level, the national team has been followed for so long. I mean, I know people who've been watching them since 1999, but you know, some of them didn't even know the league existed until 2019.
And they're like, oh, these players go and and play in a, you know, an actual league in my own country.
Savannah DeMelo
(feigning surprise) Yeah, there’s professional soccer?
Bekki Morgan (host)
Yeah, it's really kind of expanding at all levels and Louisville after only being in existence for a year. Just added a W league team too. Do you think adding that Level 2 and having a full developmental pyramid?
Do you think that's going to be the next thing that needs to happen for true expansion and stability in women soccer?
Savannah DeMelo
I think so and I think a good start of that is like having Academy teams too 'cause I know we have a really good Academy program and we have some of the younger girls who come and train with us, and I think that's just awesome and I think not only for pro players but just for the young men.
I remember like I didn't really have much options as a club soccer player. It was more just I played club. I went to ODP, then I went to like national teams sometimes.
Whereas now like my younger sister is like oh she can go do this and she can go do that and it's like just so many different opportunities she has like grow her soccer game 'cause I think instead of just going from these big leaps. Like college to pro to or even from club to college was like a huge leap for me.
I think it kind of helps all the girls like kind of integrate into like the next step of their life and their soccer career a little bit easier if we have more of those stepping stones.
But then it also could go to the burnout thing like we were talking about. So it's kind of like a fine line between those two topics, but I'm just glad all the recognition of soccer's finally getting out there. People like to talk about the sport more even on social media like I see so much more about like NWSL and Challenge Cup stuff. So it's awesome.
Bekki Morgan (host)
Yeah, it definitely feels like it's growing to a point that I I've never seen it didn't think would happen this quickly, so it's it's really exciting and it's exciting to be in a place like where there is so much interest at all levels from The W league up to up to the first team.
Final question, just to wrap it up, looking ahead to the Challenge Cup and the start of the regular season what are you looking forward to most in your rookie year and do you have any solid individual goals or benchmarks that you want to reach? Or are you just going to kind of take it as it comes and go with flow?
Savannah DeMelo
I feel like I just want to develop as much as I can, while also I mean everybody wants to start. And I mean, if we weren't if we didn't want to start like I don't think we'd be here 'cause that's the competitive side of each of us.
But I want to learn as much as I can grow my game, because in reality, like I want to be in this league for a lot longer then just like a couple years, so for me it's just about developing, taking it all land, learning from the older players, becoming more of a professional athlete, getting my feet wet and just kind of helping the team in any way I can.
My career can be like two more years or 10 more years and obviously I want it to be 10 years. So I think I just want to learn as much as I can in have the positive attitude and just take it all in.
Yeah.
Conclusion
Bekki Morgan (host)
And that was my chat with Savannah Demelo.
I really can't thank her enough for being willing to come on the Butchertown run down to chat with me.
I loved everything she had to say about the club and the environment and how well everybody is getting along and I'd totally be lying if I said it wasn't getting me even more pumped for the new season than I was already.
Huge shout out to Racing's Logan Agin, who was incredible in getting all of these rookie interviews scheduled for me.
Another shout out to my friend Lis Schendel, who did all the incredible artwork for the rookie series.
And of course, huge thanks to you, the listener for taking time to join us today.
A new episode of Butchertown Rundown will be coming out next Wednesday and you might also want to be on the lookout for a few more rookie interviews coming out both here and on BGN in the next couple of weeks too.