Deanne Rose looks forward to blossoming in the talented Courage attack
With the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, the North Carolina Courage selected the University of Florida’s Deanne Rose. While it’s exciting for any player to become a professional, Rose gets to join a juggernaut in the Courage, the 2018 & 2019 NWSL champions. Was there any extra excitement in landing with a club that successful in recent years? “Yes for me, it was very exciting to be drafted by North Carolina,” Rose told BGN. “Not only because of their championship experience, but also because they produce world-class players. So it’s exciting to be drafted to a team with that type of environment.”
As a member of the Courage, Deanne will get the chance to learn from and play alongside players like Lynn Williams, Debinha, and Jessica McDonald in the attack during her rookie season. “This is very exciting for me because I’m eager to learn from players that have this professional experience,” she said. “So, yeah, it’s just exciting to be drafted to a team with such elite players.”
For any Courage fans that aren’t familiar with her skills on the pitch, Rose explained, “I try to be very involved in the attack. I try to get him behind and I try to use my pace and power to create goal scoring opportunities.”
“And, one thing that I’m focused on improving as I become professional is just learning how to play with elite world class players on the pitch.”
Rose isn’t just an accomplished college soccer player and top-10 NWSL draft pick. The Alliston, Ontario native, as a 15-year-old, made her debut for the Canadian women’s national team. When she was a 17-year-old in the 2016 Olympic bronze medal match, Rose became the youngest player ever to score in women’s Olympic soccer play.
HT: #BRA 0-1 #CAN
Deanne Rose’s goal sees #CAN lead in the #bronze medal match at the break#Olympics #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/amDyffZTUt— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 19, 2016
Alongside players like Alphonso Davies, Jordyn Huitema, and Johnathan David, Rose is a part of an exciting generation of young Canadian soccer stars. She said, “I think it’s super exciting that Canada’s coming up as one of the top countries in the world, especially on the women’s game. And I’m super motivated to help him take Canada to the next level because I think that is something that I’ve always thought about, as the generation before me inspired me, I want to inspire the next generation.”
For the American fans in North Carolina and elsewhere, Deanne has two top suggestions if you ever get a chance to try Canadian food: poutine and Beavertails (cookies & cream, specifically).
Next up on the menu for Rose will be training camp with the Canadian national team ahead of the 2021 SheBelieves Cup (the hosts of For Kicks Podcast joined the Mixxed Zone this week to discuss all things Canadian soccer, including Rose) and potentially finishing up her collegiate career with Florida this Spring. But, after that, it will be NWSL defenses that have to deal with Deanne Rose and the explosive North Carolina Courage attack.
