From her untraditional path to the pro ranks to the playing standards in Liga MX Femenil, Tijuana midfielder Johana Rosas discusses the ups and downs of her rookie season in the latest episode of the Urban Pitch Podcast.
Johana Rosas played and trained with a broken wrist that required surgery for over a month. That’s pretty much all you need to know about the way she plays the game.
The injury has kept Rosas on the sideline for most of her first professional season with Xolos of Tijuana, but she sees it as a blessing in disguise. Despite having torn both of her ACLs in the past, she says this injury has been the most frustrating, but it has shown her resilience and dedication to continue playing at the pro level. It’s also given her a chance to get a glimpse of the professional lifestyle and dynamics from a different perspective, one that she could not have seen had she been playing and training every day.
Much like her rookie season, Rosas’ journey to turning pro was anything but typical. After a successful few seasons at Cal State Fullerton, she knew she wanted to play at the next level in Mexico, but it would take some time to get her paperwork in order. In the meantime, she coached at the collegiate level while playing in various leagues and teams to stay in shape. Once she was able to, she tried out for a handful of teams in Liga MX Femenil, eventually settling in with Xolos.
We sit down with Rosas to discuss her journey to Liga MX Femenil, the growth of the league as a whole, and the differences between the way the game is played in Mexico versus the United States.
You can watch the entire podcast on YouTube, or listen to the audio on streaming services including Apple and Spotify.
