Minnesotan Cat Parkhill has recently signed a contract with FC Kansas City of the NWSL. Parkhill, an Apple Valley native, former Gopher goalkeeper, and US Women’s U-20 World Cup champion, will serve as a backup to 34-year-old starting keeper Nicole Barnhart. FC Kansas City’s former backup keeper Katelyn Rowland was traded to Western New York in exchange for two 2017 second round draft picks.
“Surprised,” is the word Parkhill used to describe her reaction to getting the phone call inviting her to play for FC Kansas City. “It was a really quick transition between playing in the WPSL (Women’s Professional Soccer League) and the NWSL. I was quite pleased that they were going to give me a chance and I didn’t even have to go to Europe first to get that opportunity.”
Parkhill said she was on a plane heading for Kansas City just 24 hours later.
Despite the quickness of the transaction, her journey to the pros has been anything but quick and an arduous one at that. The 26-year-old Parkhill, who graduated from the U of M in 2013, was sidelined with a serious knee injury that didn’t allow her to play to her potential for years. “I tore my ACL and meniscus in December of 2011,” Parkhill recalls. “I never really recovered from my ACL injury. I came back and played my senior year at the U of M in fall of 2012 but it really wasn’t what I had hoped for – performance wise. I was trying to get myself as healthy as I could and ended up tearing my meniscus again in the fall of 2013.”
Rugby Rehab
Surprisingly, part of Parkhill’s recovery has included rugby, something she was involved in as a youth. Parkhill played on the US Soccer U-20 FIFA World Cup team where her squad defeated Korea by a score of 2-1 to win Gold. During that same time, she was involved with the US youth rugby system. She even made the US Women’s U-17 Rugby Team.
“After college I thought my best opportunity to see how far I could go and what high level I could get to, was through rugby,” reflected Parkhill. With rugby being an Olympic sport for the first time this summer, Parkhill trained hard to make the cut for the U.S. Olympic Sevens Rugby Team. “I was really trying to come back and it didn’t really go the way I had expected to. It challenged me physically but mentally too. I gave it my best efforts but didn’t make the team.”
With her knee still hurting, she stopped playing sports altogether, “just to focus on being healthy again.” Parkhill, who admits to being very competitive, said that time away from sports may have helped her physically heal but it was difficult to cope with mentally. “Every step I took I was reminded that my knee wasn’t working. I thought it was a permanent thing at the time. I really thought I was done. But then there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for me and I started recovering in a way I hadn’t before. So I decided to take the rehab on alone and see where I could go and I’ve been doing that ever since.”
“It’s really good,” says Parkhill describing her knee today. “I’m amazed it has come back the way it has.” She credits GameFace Elite Training in Minnesota for taking her to the next step and regaining her speed and quickness that she had to get back if she was to play competitively.
During the interim from playing soccer at a high level, she also coached for a number of clubs. At Eden Prairie Soccer Club she worked with club director Peter Reid where she served as a coach and youth director. Recently, when her knee starting coming around again, she realized she wanted to try to spend more time playing soccer. That forced her to coach part time, which she did at Maplebrook Soccer Club.
With A Little Help from Social Media
Parkhill credits social media for her latest opportunities in soccer. She says her former US U-17 national team assistant coach Chris Sydney, who is now head coach of Pacific FC, saw a video of one of her rehab sessions on Facebook. He was in need of a goalkeeper so he called her and asked if she would like to come to California to play for his team. “He just said that this was a starting point to see how far I could go,” said Parkhill.
She arrived in early May and played several games for Pacific FC. Evidently, Sydney was impressed enough with her play that when he heard FC Kansas City needed a goalkeeper he didn’t bat an eye in recommending Parkhill. “He told them I was ready to perform at that level and I’d be a person who would work hard to make the most of that opportunity.”
While Parkhill may struggle to break into the starting lineup, she will allow Kansas City to give Barnhart some occasional relief. Barnhart has been with KC since 2013 and before that played for FC Gold Pride and the Philadelphia Independence, making 88 appearances as a pro.
“I don’t want to focus too much on where I am on the roster. I just want to focus on learning and maybe an opportunity arises. You learn from everybody and it’s always great working with players that have played at the highest level,” concluded Parkhill.
Parkhill traveled with FC Kansas City this past weekend where her team accumulated their first road point of the season with a 1-1 draw against Sky Blue FC. Parkhill was on the bench but did not play.
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