Madison Pogarch shares her journey of achieving the dream of becoming a professional soccer player. Now entering her fourth season on the Portland Thorns, she's at a point in her career where she feels like she belongs, is confident in her strengths as a player, and knows what it takes to continue to improve her game. However, getting to this point was not smooth sailing- it took a lot of last minute changes and leaps of faith to bring her to where she is today. 

Pog fell in love with the sport at an early age, idolizing her older brother every time he took the field. From as early as 4 years old, she remembers constantly dribbling the ball and quickly found a passion for the game, and playing with her friends. Pog talks about growing up playing with the Michigan Jaguars, and how special it was to be apart of such a powerful team culture. To this day, the Michigan Jags stay in touch and remain the standard Pog puts for team chemistry and culture. From there, Pog played for Central Michigan University for three seasons. Realizing she needed more exposure to take her game to the next level, she transferred two weeks into her senior year to Rutgers University. Getting drafted by the Thorns was as equally abrupt. After a six week preseason tryout, she found herself with a contract and an opportunity to represent team USA in the U23 Nordic Tournament. 

Pog also discusses the exposure and funding behind women's sports, how she found her confidence as a player, and the importance of getting to know her teammates as people before players. She may have come so far, but her career is just beginning.