The Sky Blue FC roster is getting smaller and smaller by the day. Less than a week after fellow midfielder Katy Freels announced she was sitting out the 2016 season, Haley Haagsma McCall announced she was retiring from professional soccer.
Haley Haagsma McCall Announces Retirement
“I am certainly going to miss the entire Sky Blue FC organization, including the amazing fans, the dedicated staff, the coaches, and of course, my friends and teammates,” McCall said of retirement. “I feel tremendously blessed to have gotten the opportunity to play professional soccer and to play for an organization like Sky Blue FC, where you are invested in as a person and not just as a player. The last two years have been unforgettable, and I will always be grateful for where this beautiful sport has taken me. I have grown so much and have met some incredible people, and for that I would not change a thing! I am stepping away from the game fully confident that it is the right time for me, and I am extremely excited for the next chapter in life. I want to wish the entire organization the very best for this 2016 season!”
McCall, who got married over the offseason, was taken 15th overall by Sky Blue FC in the 2014 NWSL College Draft, but missed the entire 2014 season after suffering a torn ACL in her left knee during a preseason match. She worked hard to rehabilitate herself. All of her hard work and resiliency paid off, earning her way into the starting squad in 2015, making 15 starts over 16 appearances. On the year, she registered one goal and one assist.
Unlike Freels, who made the reason for her decision clearly known, it is not totally clear why McCall picked this moment to retire. Perhaps, like Freels, it is to spend more time with her husband. Whatever the reason, it's another loss for Christy Holly's squad following the trade of Nadia Nadim and the departures of goalie Brittany Cameron as well as Freels.
Christy Holly Thanks Hayley
“We want to thank Hayley for everything she has done for the club over the past two years,” said Holly, Sky Blue FC head coach. “Hayley showed last year what an important player she can be at this level. We wish her the very best in all her future endeavors.”
“Hayley is an incredible person and exemplifies the meaning of hard work and perseverance,” added Tony Novo, Sky Blue FC President and General Manager. “She is an incredibly well-rounded person who did great things for us both on and off the field. As Hayley and her family enter the next chapter of their life together, we want to wish them nothing but the greatest of fortunes.”