What’s it like to be drafted Round 1? Top KC soccer pick shares first-person experience

The Countdown to My Virtual Celebration

By Kiara “Kiki” Pickett

Editor’s note: Kiki Pickett was recently selected by Kansas City’s new pro team in the first round of the National Women’s Soccer League’s annual draft. A senior at Stanford, she wrote the following first-person account of draft night, Jan. 13, for her Specialized Writing and Reporting: Telling True Stories course and shared it with The Star for KC readers’ enjoyment.

My dorm room looks like a TV production studio. I glance to the right and a laptop perched on a wooden desk displays my parents, younger sister and dozens of other family members on Zoom.

To the left, Skype is launched on another laptop to capture my live reaction. There’s a large monitor behind me to display the Twitch broadcast, and I balance a Samsung Galaxy A11 on my lap so as not to miss urgent calls or text messages.

My Stanford women’s soccer teammates huddle in the kitchen, hiding from the cameras and trying to maintain social distance. I’ve asked my roommate to take pictures and videos on her iPhone, just in case.

For the past nine months, my outfits have consisted mostly of sweats and fuzzy socks. But now I’m dressed in my black-and-white romper. I’ve been practicing my smile for a week, because I forgot what it looked like. While wearing protective masks, I can only smile with my eyes.

4:05 p.m. Pacific Standard Time: ‘Welcome in to the 2021 NWSL Draft …’

Marisa Pilla and Lori Lindsey’s voices leap from the laptop to my left. The two commentators are more prepared for today’s National Women’s Soccer League Draft than I am, which is funny since I’ve envisioned myself playing soccer at a high level since I was 8 years old.

4:55 p.m. PST: ‘Sky Blue has just issued a trade …’

Fifty minutes in and only three picks have been made. I don’t want to get my hopes up or jinx my chances of being selected by sharing where I hope to play. Staying neutral is the best place to be. When my uncle unmuted himself to ask, “How are you feeling?” I responded without hesitation. “I am very nervous, but I have to keep a smile on my face because I’m on camera.”

A forced smile can barely hide the questions spinning in my head. Sky Blue, a New Jersey franchise in the 10-team league, had been on the clock to draft fourth overall.

4:56 p.m. PST: ‘Now there is a trade happening ... between Sky Blue and Kansas City’

Where exactly is Kansas City? I know it is closer to California than New Jersey, so I guess that’s a good thing, if I hear my name called.

4:58 p.m. PST: ‘They are trying to get into this first round, being a little more aggressive …’

Aggressive is the definition of how I play. Being 5-feet-short, I have to be the most tenacious player on the field. I am done being overlooked. I deserve to be noticed. My motto is Remember Me, but in the back of my mind lives the possibility that I will be forgotten.

4:59 p.m. PST: ‘Trying to get into one of those impact players …’

I was an impact player when I made the winning penalty kick against North Carolina to lift Stanford to an NCAA championship. That was over a year ago. Who knows what kind of player I am today? And I don’t know if my senior season will even happen, given California’s restrictive COVID-19 rules.

5 p.m. PST: ‘Another team that needs another player to make an immediate impact …’

Well, that’s not me. I made it clear on social media that I won’t start my professional career until I complete the collegiate spring season. I would miss all the NWSL preseason and a tournament — not ideal for a rookie.

With every second that passes, I look to my family and teammates for validation. I need their support more than ever. I want to celebrate with as many people as possible. Yet what if I don’t hear my name called in the first round? Will my teammates think differently of me because I’m not considered a top-tier player? What about my family? They’ve supported me since Day One, and the least I can do is show the rest of the world who I really am.

5:04 p.m. PST: ‘Sky Blue received 175 thousand dollars in allocation money. We saw the fist-bumps in Kansas City. That meant a good thing. That meant they got the number 4 overall draft pick.’

I’ve never seen that much money before in my life. They must really want this player.

5:05 p.m. PST: ‘And with that, they chose ... Kiki Pickett.’