The Wait Is Over

No Such Thing

Abby was tested by the Boston Breakers training staff and was deemed to still be suffering slight side effects from her two concussions last season. Coach Herdman was given the news and contacted the Cantu Concussion Center at Emerson Hospital to make an appointment for Abby to get a comprehensive assessment and a treatment plan to return to play. Following her visit to Cantu, Abby was told that with rest and therapy, she should be at 100% around the end of April. Abby and Coach Herdman discussed the plan and determined that she'll do non-contact training once pre-season training starts on March 1 and continue with that until she is cleared for play. Once cleared, she'll move in full training with plans to activate her for their May 13th match against Orlando. If all goes well and she gets playing time in both that match and the one on the 28th against North Carolina, her first game as part of the first XI would be against Seattle on June 4.

***

Kristie and Abby got together for lunch and to kvetch a little about their partners.

Kristie: Now that you and Sam are going to be playing together again, have you thought about the future?

Abby: It's the same deal as when we were in Cary. She thinks a perfect time to get married will land in our lap and that we can wait until it does. We should have done it right after the 2018 season, before the National Team took over most of our time the following two years. In all reality, we REALLY should have gotten it over with when we returned after the Olympics, like Moe and KO did. We had a couple of weeks off from NWSL play, as did everyone else that we would have wanted to have there, and it could have been no-muss, no-fuss, we're married. If we had, then Paul probably doesn't leave me unprotected for the Expansion Draft and I don't end up leaving the Courage.

Kristie: Well, with the two of you now in Boston, don't wait to take the step.

Abby: Oh, I'm game as soon as she is. In the interview Steph Labbe and I did with Steph Yang for SB Nation, I hinted at something in my response to her last question that I hope Sam will read between the lines and figure out.

Kristie: We both know that my sister can sometimes be a little dense. I hope the hint was obvious.

Abby: I THINK it was, but again, she could read it and think it means something else. Anyways, are you and Steph any closer to getting this distance thing out of the way?

Kristie: No, and it's eating me up. We've been playing apart for the past 5 1/2 years, and yes we are able to spend the off-seasons together back here, but it's nothing like having her with me day in and day out. You know that feeling, Sam knows that feeling, and I hope Steph is getting to know it.

Abby: Any chance you can get sent to Chicago?

Kristie: That's a question that requires a multi-part response. First, the Red Stars play a system that I don't fit into particularly well, so if I were to seek out a move to Chicago, I would be coming in as an option at left back. Beyond that, if I were to seek my release from the Spirit and make it through waivers, I'd be taking a huge cut in salary.

Abby: You said you were going to talk to Coach Gabarra once preseason started about things.

Kristie: Right, and I thought I'd have heard something by now if he was planning to shop me around.

Abby: What are your options?

Kristie: Take a trade somewhere to keep my contract, ask for my release and hope to be able to make it on the salary I'm able to negotiate, or stay put. All of those options would require me to make a difficult decision about the future.

Abby: How so?

Kristie: If the first one comes to pass and I'm not pleased with where they send me, I'd have to consider retirement. The second one might require me to sell a portion of my interest in Sporting Chic to supplement my salary for a year or two, and the third one really isn't a good option, so that would also make me think about hanging it up, moving to Chicago, and working full-time on Sporting Chic.