Van Egmond showing she's fleet-footed

The Matildas talented central midfielder Emily van Egmond is currently plying her trade in the USA for Seattle Reign FC but will return to Australia next month.

The Matildas talented central midfielder Emily van Egmond is currently plying her trade in the USA for Seattle Reign FC but will return to Australia next month in time to begin W-League pre-season training with an undisclosed club.

Van Egmond flew directly to Canada following the Westfield Matildas recent European tour to take up a short-term contract, waiting patiently before receiving her visa to play in the National Women's Soccer League.

The talented central midfielder has played in the US several times now, so knows what to expect and has been enjoying the experience thus far.

“I-m slowly getting to know everyone which helps settling in to a new team,” said Van Egmond. “Seattle is a great city and I'm having lots of fun.

“I-m learning more about the actual league the more games I play. I am only here for a short stint so I-m making the most of it.”

When asked how America-s National Women-s Soccer League compared to the Westfield W-League the Matildas midfielder suggested Australia still has a bit of catching up to do in terms of the standard.

“The main differences would be the speed and strength,” said Van Egmond. “It-s a faster paced game in the US League and much more physical, those are the two stand-outs for me.

“My favourite thing about playing in the US is it's not too dissimilar to home so it's an easy transition. On the field I find I lift my game, it forces me to make decisions a lot quicker.”

Despite only being 20-years-old, Van Egmond has built an impressive resume of clubs she-s played for overseas and rates her last stint in the US as her favourite.

“My most memorable experience so far would be last year in the US. I played with the Western New York Flash, having a whole season there added to the experience.

“When you have the time to settle I was able to feel more comfortable. Winning the championship with them just topped it all off,” she exclaimed.

This time around Van Egmond is enjoying the opportunity to train and play alongside Megan Rapinoe, whom she rates as one of the best players in the world.

“It's been a great experience being in the same environment as Megan. Even though I have not been here for all that long I-ve already learnt so much from being in the same team as her."

Of course things haven-t all been a smooth ride since moving back to the US, with the Matilda encountering problems getting her visa processed following the national team-s European tour. However she is enjoying the high tempo lifestyle both on and off the pitch.

“I flew from France straight to Vancouver, I wasn-t allowed in to the US because of my visa situation. I spent a couple of days there trying to sort it all out,” she said.

“If there were a positive, it was nice to see a little bit of Vancouver before arriving in to Seattle.

“It's been pretty hectic since I joined the team. We haven-t really stayed put for long, we have travelled to heaps of away games.

“We are currently on a 10-day road trip playing Chicago, Western New York and Washington Spirit.

“In saying that, I-ve managed to see small parts of Seattle which I-ve loved so far - it-s such a pretty city."

As to which city Van Egmond would be playing in for the upcoming Westfield W-League season, the daughter of Newcastle Jets Head Coach Gary, was non-committal, claiming a few contract issues still need to be sorted out before an announcement is made.

However Van Egmond did declare she will be back in the country in the first week of September so expect to hear news on the next club to be part of her football journey soon.