San Diego Wave’s Mimi Van Zanten chose her team for its player development focus, debuting against Houston Dash where her sister plays.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Wave rookie Mimi Van Zanten signed with the Wave over other NWSL teams because of the Wave’s style of play and commitment to player development.

The rookie was drawn to San Diego’s approach during her first professional season. “The soccer is a huge part for me,” Mimi said. “I really like the way that the Wave plays soccer and I feel like it really suits my technical abilities. My first year in the pros, I really want to develop a lot and be able to perform at the next level.  So, with everything the Wave has done already and then continuing to get better and better every year, it was an obvious choice for me.”

Family reunites before professional debut

Her professional debut will come against the Houston Dash, a matchup that holds personal significance—her sister Kiki plays for that team. The sisters plan to visit before the match. “Yeah, they get here Thursday night I believe.  So I’m probably going to drive to her hotel and see her. Then afterwards I think she’s gonna stay another day because we have about 30 people from my family coming to this game, so there’s definitely gonna be some family fun going on,” Mimi said.

Development takes priority over statistics

Mimi has focused her personal goals on growth rather than statistics as she begins her professional career. “Again, my biggest goal is to develop, and coming out of college, obviously the levels are very different.  I kind of like the idea of having to come in and fight for a starting spot because it forces me to do all the little things that I may not have been doing before, just to ensure that I can get the playing time I want,” she said.

Snapdragon Stadium excitement builds

The player also expressed enthusiasm about performing at Snapdragon Stadium, the team’s home venue. “Yesterday was actually the first time I got to see Snapdragon in person, which is very exciting. It’s a beautiful venue. Obviously, in college and having dreams of playing in the NWSL, I’ve watched so many games in Snapdragon, and getting to see all the fans get so excited for their team has been something that I’ve always been looking forward to, and I can’t wait to go play there and then play in front of all the fans. It’s really exciting,” she said.