Rising soccer star Mallory Pugh has signed with Wasserman for her representation in all areas of her career. The newest member of the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Washington Spirit and member of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) made headlines earlier this week after deciding to forgo her college eligibility at UCLA to turn pro.
While she did not compete for the Bruins soccer team (she skipped the season to play in the Under-20 World Cup), she wanted to attend college and enrolled over the winter. After mulling over her decision on whether or not to turn pro, she decided to withdraw from the university in April and follow her dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. While she is not the first women’s soccer player to bypass the college experience and become pro, she is the first to do so in the NWSL.
In addition to her time with the Spirit, she is a member of the USWNT. By playing for both the Spirit and USWNT, she will have the potential to earn about $200,000 annually, according to The Washington Post. As a burgeoning high-profile player, she will also have the option to have endorsement deals, one of which she has already signed with Nike. Had she not been a member of the national team (which could have altered her decision to go pro), she would make anywhere from $15,000 to $41,700 over the course of the seven month NWSL season.
Pugh became the youngest American and third-youngest player in NWSL history when she made her debut off the bench in the 54th minute in a 1-0 loss to FC Kansas City on May 20. No stranger to history, she became the youngest player ever to score a goal for the USWNT in an Olympic game when she notched her first against Colombia in last summer’s games.
At Wasserman, she will be represented by Executive VP and Managing Executive of Soccer, Richard Motzkin.