The teenager is one of the brightest talents in the sport, and she'll get the chance to prove it for the U.S. it this summer in Paris
Jaedyn Shaw is special, and it doesn't take particularly long to figure that out.
Within the first few moments of watching her, you know. Her friends knew at a young age when they nicknamed her "Jaemar" as a comparison to a certain Brazilian. Her coaches with both San Diego and the USWNT knew instantly. And now everyone in American soccer knows it, too.
We haven't seen many players like her.
The rest of the world, though, is due an introduction. The 19-year old is ready for her first big moment on the big stage. Hey world, meet Jaedyn!
Her introduction starts this week at the Summer Olympics, her first major tournament. It's been just a few months since she earned her USWNT debut and, in those months, she's made herself undeniable. Superstars were left out of the U.S. squad to accommodate Shaw, and that's not because she's a player who can help down the line. No, the teenager is expected to help right now.
Shaw is both the USWNT's present and future, and the rest of the world is about to find that out.
Getty ImagesShaw's breakthrough
We've seen a lot of superstars break out with the USWNT. No program has produced more in the women's game. Legends have walked through this program, and many, like Shaw, got their start at a young age.
What Shaw has done, though, is unprecedented. Shaw received her first USWNT call-up in September but didn't earn her first cap until October. She scored her first goal in her second appearance, a 3-0 win over Colombia. As it turns out, that was just the start.
Heading into the Olympics, Shaw has seven goals in just 16 USWNT appearances. Four of those goals came at the Gold Cup, where she earned the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. All of that talent on the field and Shaw was the best of the bunch – that tells you all you need to know.
"I knew that I really wanted to be on this team, and that I was going to do whatever I could off the field, on the field to get to this point," Shaw told Morning Footy. "Once I just put the jersey on, it's almost like a superhero putting on their cape. It's a different feeling."
By the time the Olympics rolled around, the question was no longer "Can the U.S. afford to bring Shaw to Paris?" In the months since her debut, it had morphed into a new one: can the U.S. afford not to?
Ultimately, the answer was clear: she's crucial for the U.S., and as a result, Shaw is the youngest member of the 18-player squad selected by head coach Emma Hayes. There was no doubt, either. Shaw has arrived, and she's here to stay.
AdvertisementGettyDazzling teammates
Lindsey Horan was warned about Shaw. Friends who had played with her or against her told the USWNT captain that the teenager was on the rise. They also told her that, when she did arrive, she would make Horan's life substantially lot easier.
"You can see players that you're like, 'Oh, I want to play with her'," Horan told GOAL. "Obviously Jaedyn was in earlier on and she was one of those players where I'd been told by a few people 'You're going to love playing with her, like, you guys are going to knock it around and play a little tiki-taka'. It's just like that sense that I get. I love that when there's a player on the field that gets me and can read what I want, and can play and can combine and do all these things.
"[Shaw] has that special aspect of her game as well. She scores goals. She sees the game, she reads it. She's technical and she's super creative with the ball."
In truth, Shaw has made everyone's life a bit easier. As Horan mentioned, she does so many things well. Despite her inexperience, Shaw is unfazed. She makes the right play and, more often than not, it's the game-changing one. That's what Shaw is, a game-changer – and who wouldn't want to play next to someone like that?
"It's really cool to see her course on this team," Horan said, "because she comes in – maybe doesn't get a chance right away – but now it seems like, I don't know, she's been around for now a year in this first team? It feels like multiple."
Getty'She's here and she's arrived'
The Twila Kilgore era was short but, if there's one takeaway from it, it'll probably be Shaw's rise.
During her few months as interim coach, Kilgore ushered in a new generation. Players such as Jenna Nighswonger, Mia Fishel Olivia Moultrie and Lily Yohannes got their first taste of USWNT action. So too did Shaw, who impressed Kilgore from the start.
“I think finding your niche in this team and being able to score consistently is quite a feat, especially as you’re being integrated," Kilgore said of Shaw in the spring. "And I would actually say even though she’s here, she’s doing a great job, we’re seeing great things from her and we’re really pleased, I’d say she’s still in the onboarding process. She is still working on all phases of her game."
That was one of the challenges of Kilgore's tenure when it comes to Shaw: balancing the expectations against the results. The more Shaw did, the more the hype built. At some point, all Kilgore could do was acknowledge that Shaw was no longer a prospect; she was a star.
“She’s open to challenges," Kilgore said. "She’s very humble, she’s hardworking, she wants to be better. And while the world is saying, ‘Yeah, she’s here and she’s arrived,’ and I agree she’s doing a great job, be patient because there’s more lot more for her."
GettyHer role in Paris
Emma Hayes has some big decisions on her hands at the Olympics this summer. Chief among them is what to do with Shaw.
The teenager is capable of starting all over the field, and can be played either centrally or on the wing. Right now, the three attacking spots are likely claimed by Mal Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. If that's the case, where does that leave Shaw?
Can she claim one of those three spots? Possibly. Hayes is known as a tinkerer and there may be some games in which she opts for the creativity of Shaw instead of, say, the directness of Rodman. With Hayes, nothing is set in stone.
Shaw could also be played centrally as a No. 10, particularly if Rose Lavelle isn't fit. It would certainly add a new layer to the U.S. attack and allow them to swarm the opposition while keeping the team's best attackers on the field.
The most likely option for now, though, is a supersub role. In Shaw, Hayes has a game-changing wild card off the bench, one that can really expose opponents when they have tired legs. Shaw has proven she's a goalscorer and a creator, and that may be just what this team needs off the bench. Those sorts of moments were missing at the World Cup last summer – can Shaw provide them now?
Either way, Hayes has some thinking to do when it comes to maximizing the talent of the USWNT's brightest young star.