Young Lionesses in the USA: Anna Patten & Alessia Russo

The companion scholarship feature pairs Anna Patten, at Florida State University, with Alessia Russo at North Carolina. Patten, who played every minute of Arsenal’s Spring Series, says FSU’s many international players, including Deyna Castellanos and Gloriana Villalobos, made her feel integrated, and explains she chose America because so many English clubs turning professional would have made juggling a degree with training impossible. She had spoken to Kelly Smith, who knew FSU coach Mark Krikorian from the Philadelphia Charge, and attended a summer camp before committing. Russo, who dropped to WSL 2 with Brighton for minutes before leaving for UNC, praises the intensity and her team’s never-say-die attitude, and reports ACC tournament MVP and second All-American honours while recovering from stress fractures. Both discuss the 2016 Jordan World Cup and missing home.