Picture: College of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

On Sunday, NJ/NY Gotham FC introduced the signing of midfielder Meleana “Mana” Shim to a short-term harm substitute contract. Shim is instantly out there for choice for Gotham FC’s recreation towards the Chicago Pink Stars on June 25, with a 5:30 ET kickoff.

Throughout all Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League competitions in her profession, Shim has appeared in 85 video games, with 55 begins, 9 targets, 9 assists and 4,912 minutes performed. Shim made her final NWSL look on June 2, 2018. 

“I’m excited to return to the NWSL as a part of Gotham FC. It’s a demanding {and professional} setting that’s centered on gamers first, and so they have put collectively an extremely proficient group that I’m honored to share the sphere with,” Shim stated. 

Shim’s NWSL resume is in depth. The midfielder, who initially signed with the Portland Thorns as a Discovery Participant in 2013, was named Newcomer of the Yr after scoring 5 targets with two assists and 17 begins in her 19 appearances. She was the primary Thorns participant to attain in 4 consecutive matches. 

With the Thorns, she received NWSL Championships in 2013 and received the NWSL Protect in 2016. In 2017, Shim joined Växjö DFF in Sweden earlier than returning to the NWSL and signing with the Houston Sprint in 2018.

“Mana is a veteran chief who brings information and expertise as a unbelievable addition to this nice group of gamers,” Gotham FC Normal Supervisor and Head of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West stated. “We’ve labored onerous to create a welcoming setting for gamers, and we’re proud that she has chosen to be part of this membership.”  

Off the sphere, Shim is a 2022 graduate of the William S. Richardson College of Legislation on the College of Hawai’i at Mānoa. In 2021, she performed a key half in efforts by present and former NWSL gamers to eradicate harassment and abuse within the league.

Whereas Shim joins Gotham FC, she’s going to keep her full-time place with the U.S. Soccer Federation as Chair of the Participant Security Taskforce. Underneath Shim’s management, U.S. Soccer is working carefully with membership in creating the Secure Soccer Clearance program that can redefine the processes and standards used to find out eligibility to take part in soccer in america. This system may have a multi-year, tiered rollout with the preliminary pilot part concentrating on the Fall of 2023 earlier than being launched to the broader soccer panorama in 2024.

Extra info on the Secure Soccer Clearance program will be discovered on U.S. Soccer’s Participant Security Hub.