New team, new role to be learned for this former Missouri Valley Conference soccer star

If there was one thing Huw Williams hated doing when he was a soccer player, it was tracking back after an attacking defender.

As a forward, it was the last thing the KC NWSL head coach wanted to do.

“There’s nothing I hated more than a center-back that was stepping into the midfield,” he said Thursday. “You’re just chasing the whole time.”

And Kate Del Fava, one of Williams’ Kansas City players, is precisely the type of opponent Williams hated defending.

Luckily for Del Fava, Williams is long past his playing days. Now, he enjoys having a player like Del Fava at his disposal.

“She is a player that we are certainly investing in because we think she has a lot of upside,” Williams said. “She is somebody that has impressed all of our coaching staff.”

Del Fava has embraced a new role for the new KC club. Just 22, she was drafted by the Utah Royals in 2020 after a successful collegiate career at Illinois State that culminated with 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors

She came to the National Women’s Soccer League as a midfielder but has slowly been transitioning to defense. Now, under Williams’ tutelage, her switch from midfielder to defender seems to be permanent.

“I played a little bit of center-back last year and so that’s where I’m kind of fitting in right now,” she said. “But I’m really grateful that Coach has had faith in me and wanted to put me back there, and I’m really excited to keep learning the position and keep growing there.”

Attack-minded defense and Williams have been synonymous this preseason. Williams is constantly drilling his defenders on joining the attack. That mainly comes via the outside backs, but Del Fava offers a unique option at her position.

She can step up from the defense and attack down the middle.

“She’s a converted midfield player, so very comfortable on the ball, and she can break lines off the dribble as a defender,” Williams said. “She’s able to penetrate off the pass, and especially off the dribble into the midfield and creating numbers up in midfield.”

Del Fava has anchored a backline that’s yet to concede a goal this offseason, providing defensive stability as well as the attacking intent that Williams wants. Having calm veteran and Scotland national team captain Rachel Corsie alongside her has further aided Del Fava’s progression.

“Since I haven’t played a lot of center-back in my career, I think having her next to me has been a complete learning experience,” Del Fava said. “She’s a great leader — she has so much experience with the national team, within the NWSL — so I’m just taking her advice every single day. She’s always encouraging me.”

Corsie has been helping Del Fava pick up the intricacies of defense. It can be something as simple as body positioning or when to push forward and drop back.

One key thing Del Fava said she’s learned is to make sure she’s already facing her own goal when dropping back so that she can beat an onrushing attacker to the ball behind the defensive line.

“She has a lot of faith in me in those things, but she also knows little reminders like that really help,” Del Fava said. “Especially getting into my head every single time to do the little things that she’s so used to doing as such an experienced center-back.”