23-year-old Illinois native, Nina Nicosia began her soccer journey within the typical style. When she was solely six years outdated her father signed her as much as play soccer hoping his daughter would fall in love with the game he fell in love with too. This labored for a time however after just a few years a then 10-year-old Nina give up soccer. She didn’t benefit from the sport anymore and her dad was not going to drive her to do one thing she didn’t need to do anymore. This was going to be the top of every thing, it was alleged to be the top, however then a cellphone name and a brand new pair of cleats modified every thing only a few years later.
When Nina first performed soccer as a toddler she performed with largely boys, one thing that wasn’t a loopy idea on the time. Sadly, way back, there weren’t devoted soccer golf equipment only for ladies like there are actually, so most ladies had no alternative however to play with boys. Years after Nina first give up soccer, her dad acquired a cellphone name from a coach who needed to type a ladies soccer membership and needed Nina to play for them however since she wasn’t taking part in soccer anymore her dad supplied her youthful sister as a substitute. All this discuss a brand new membership and gear and cleats ignited one thing in Nina she hadn’t felt in years. “I needed new cleats too!” Nina stated in between laughs as she recounted the story. With a brand new pair of trainers in hand the younger lady made her manner again to the sphere after years of absence.
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Upon her return to the fields she took the game severely this time round and fell in love with soccer. From there on out she labored laborious on a regular basis and lived and breathed soccer. After years of taking part in, all her laborious work paid off when she was one in every of 20 younger athletes chosen to be a part of the Generational Adidas Elite Soccer Program. She acquired the chance to journey to France the place Olympique Lyon hosted coaching, matches and actions for per week. “I acquired to go together with my membership teammate. It was an thrilling time,” the participant shared. It was an unforgettable expertise for {the teenager} who acquired to dwell the highs of the game. Sadly this was across the identical time that she felt the lows of the game as effectively when she suffered the dreaded ACL damage that sidelined her for 10 months.
At round age 16 Nina suffered her first main damage as she tore her ACL. The restoration course of was going to be an extended one bodily, but in addition mentally. Fortunately her father, Gustavo, was her pillar all through her restoration. He has been the one by her aspect anytime she handled hardships. From challenges in her childhood, to tough instances in her faculty years and even now with Pachuca. Her father has been there each step of the way in which to assist his daughter by way of difficult instances. As Nina has put it, “[my dad] is every thing to me.” Her father enrolled her in soccer at a younger age not understanding that, years later, it might lead her to Mexico, particularly to Pachuca.
After faculty, Nina continued to play in a rec league that ultimately acquired the eye of a recruiter from Pachuca. In actuality, that scout was not there for Nina, or perhaps a girls’s soccer participant. He was there to scout male soccer gamers however when he noticed the teenager play he simply knew she had one thing particular and that Pachuca Femenil could be an awesome match for her. When approached in regards to the alternative Nina took it despite the fact that she was not too conversant in Liga MX Femenil. The participant herself admitted she didn’t comply with the league intently stating, “my household didn’t actually watch girls’s soccer so much.” Nonetheless, she headed all the way down to Pachuca and fortunately she tailored very effectively to residing in a brand new nation. She attributes her clean transition to her ancestry. On her mom’s aspect, she has Mexican grandparents and she or he understands Spanish. Whereas she didn’t converse the language so much rising up, her Spanish has improved so much since her arrival. She additionally talked about that, “Pachuca is a peaceful metropolis,” and that has helped her adapt immensely.
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When Nina first arrived in Pachuca, the participant didn’t see loads of time on the sphere. Virtually three years later and she or he is now probably the most vital gamers on the crew. She was additionally a think about Pachuca successful their first league trophy and the Campeon de Campeones in 2025. The teenager knew what it meant for the membership to say their first trophy as, “[the team] tried many instances to win their first Nina Nicosia: How a New Pair of Cleats Reignited Her Soccer Profession and Led Her to Make Historical past with Pachuca Femenil,” however had been unable to. Pachuca had been in three finals earlier than and misplaced all of them so there was loads of stress to convey dwelling the trophy of their fourth closing. After two 90 minute video games Nina and Pachuca had been topped champions of the Clausura 2025 and weeks later in addition they received the Campeon de Campeones title. This recreation noticed Nina rating the sport successful objective after a defensive mishap from the guests.
In any case her laborious work, the membership gave her the respect of sporting the #10 jersey for the present 2026 Clausura event. Sporting the #10 jersey additionally brings loads of weight with it, one thing that the participant agrees with however is “completely happy to have it.” With this new jersey Nina has had a profitable season as she has scored seven targets to date and finds herself in third place for the Golden Boot race, just a few targets behind teammate Charlyn Corral. Nina additionally understands how vital it’s for her to share the sphere with Corral and to have shared the sphere with Monica Ocampo, two icons in Mexican Ladies’s Soccer. Although it was quick, she loved the time she shared with Ocampo, who she fondly known as “Moni.” Whereas she nonetheless has her, barring her retirement, the teenager will proceed to be taught from Corral who calls the 2 “a giant duo.”
Nina has been taking part in soccer her entire life and all these years of sacrifice and challenges led her to 2 trophies with Pachuca. Resulting from her success with the membership it’s laborious to think about she would do anything however not too long ago she has acquired some laborious hitting questions. When requested what she could be doing if she had been in a parallel universe the place she wasn’t taking part in soccer, she couldn’t assist however chuckle. She stated she could be a basketball participant, “as a result of I’ve the peak for it, however I wouldn’t be any good.” This reply isn’t stunning due to course an athlete of her degree would nonetheless need to be an athlete if she couldn’t play her sport anymore. Although she believes she wouldn’t be good at basketball, there is no such thing as a doubt in anybody’s thoughts that she would excel due to the mindset that she has. She went by way of a number of challenges and tough instances all through her profession however she got here again stronger due to them. All of that led her to Mexico the place she has written historical past with Pachuca and little question she’s going to proceed to jot down extra.