In a city familiar with championship celebrations, Sydny Nasello helped deliver a first of its kind.

The Sun forward played a central role in securing the Tampa Bay area’s first-ever title for a women’s pro sports team, earning championship MVP honors.

For Nasello, a Land O’ Lakes graduate who moved to the area at age 12 after her father retired from the Navy, the moment carried additional significance.

“Tampa is home, and to be able to be a part of not even just bringing championship culture to already a champion city, doing it as the first women’s professional team, that’s so awesome for women’s sports, especially for the city,” said Nasello, who played at USF. “And to do it in Year 1, no one’s ever going to be able to say that they did that other than that group that played.”

Unlike big moments she previously had to celebrate from afar while playing professionally in Turkey and Spain, Nasello’s family was able to watch the Sun win the inaugural USL Super League championship in June in Tampa.

“They were all there,” she said. “They all witnessed that moment in history, and it was super, super cool.”

But that’s where the celebration ended for Nasello.

Rather than join her teammates for the Sun’s championship boat parade on the Hillsborough River, she chose to honor a previous commitment to make a mission trip to Guyana.

“I have a mentality to be where your feet are,” said Nasello, who said her Christian faith played a significant role in her decision. “It’s a way that God works inside of you, just something about the turning of the heart.”

A first of its kind

The path the Sun took to the championship made it all the more worth celebrating.

They started the season near the bottom of the standings and worked their way up to qualify for the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, earning a home game for the semifinal round. While Tampa Bay beat Dallas, Fort Lauderdale upset top-seeded Carolina, ensuring the Sun would host the championship match at what is now Suncoast Credit Union Field.

“As soon as Fort Lauderdale scored, we just went absolutely insane, because we knew we were hosting,” Nasello said. “This is like a Cinderella story. You couldn’t write it any better.”

The best was yet to come.

After 90 scoreless minutes in the final, Cecilie Fløe Nielsen scored the winning goal in added time off an assist from Nasello in the 100th minute.

Reflecting on the play, Sun coach Denise Schilte-Brown emphasized the role Nasello played.

“She beat three players,” the coach said. “She placed (the ball) on the foot of our striker. She deserved the MVP.”

The performance was a reflection of how Nasello had grown throughout the season, Schilte-Brown said.

“She always shows up,” the coach said. “Big games, small games, big crowds, no crowd, Sydny’s always gonna come and give it her best.

“Greatness really happens in great games. And she showed up again in that last game, and that final goal was all her.”

Nasello’s family did not know that she would receive the MVP award until it was announced as the confetti fell.

“They were super surprised, which was cool,” Nasello said. “They got to just enjoy that moment.”

Self-sacrifice for the greater good

Though she was disappointed to miss the celebratory boat parade, Nasello never doubted her decision to go on the mission trip.

“I actually planned that mission trip a year before,” she said. “You can’t just be like, ‘Oh, hey, next week I’m leaving the country.’”

Nasello, 25, worked primarily with children on the trip, combining soccer with outreach.

“I always choose the trips that are based in the youth,” she said, “because I feel like I connect a lot with kids.”

Nasello said the opportunity to play soccer with the kids in their own environment made the experience extra special.

“They’re playing soccer barefoot … and it’s on rocks,” she said. “So it’s super cool to just buy into that and, like, it’s such a reward.

“You would not know that any of the kids are going through anything. It’s special just to be able to provide a source of light into their day-to-day life.”

Schilte-Brown said she “couldn’t be prouder” of Nasello’s decision to make the trip.

“It was a self-sacrifice to do something for the greater good,” Schilte-Brown said, “and I think that Sydny always has her eye on the greater good, and it makes her really special.”

‘Arrogance you can back up’

Another thing that makes Nasello special, her coach said, is her mindset on the pitch.

“She has an arrogance that you can back up with hard work and production,” Schilte-Brown said. “I mean it in the best possible way.”

Nasello said her international playing experience helped to hone her approach.

“In Spain, it was very tactical. There’s a lot of dribblers, kind of like me,” she said. “So being able to bring that here and have it be successful is super cool.”

As essential as she was to last season’s championship, Nasello is no less important this season, as the last-place Sun struggle to find their footing in their second Super League season.

Their 3-8-9 record includes a 3-0 loss to Brooklyn on March 19, the night the Sun hoisted their championship banner.

“We know what it takes to win a championship, and now we know what it takes to not,” Nasello said. “So we just need to be more consistent in our play style.”

With new players added to last season’s core group, the emphasis is on maintaining the standard set during the Sun’s championship run.

One thing that won’t change, Nasello said, is the players’ commitment.

“When you have a championship environment,” she said, “you train like champions.”