Full Name: Raquel Rodríguez Cedeño

Born: October 28, 1993

Height: 5’5’’ (165 cm)

Hometown: San José, Costa Rica

Position: Midfielder

International Debut: October 20, 2007

Best Moment: World Cup goal against Spain in Canada 2015

Biggest Influence: My dad, Sivianni Rodríguez

Career Highlight: Attending Penn State University (PSU)

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I was born in San José, Costa Rica and grew up in San Francisco de Dos Ríos. I started playing soccer at the age of 4 and as I grew older, I played with my neighbors and my elementary school friends. Also, my dad had a little team he coached every Saturday and my brother and I went to train with them. When I was 10 years old and still training with my dad’s team, my cousin read on the newspaper that Saprissa was going to have tryouts for their women’s team. We didn’t know there was a women’s team, nonetheless with a popular Costa Rican team like Saprissa, so we went to the tryouts. During the tryouts, the national team coach at the time saw me play and called me to national team tryouts.

I was 11 and that was the very first time I trained with the national team. Two years later, another coach came along and after more tryouts, I returned to national team and made it to the U-17 national team at the age of 13.

Getting Started on the National Team

Being on the U-17 national team during my middle school years was one of the most exhausting, yet rewarding years of my life. I would get up at 6:00am to go to school then had to leave early every day and miss the last 2 classes because I needed to take public transportation to start my practices by 5:00pm. By the time I arrived home, at around 8:00pm, I would eat dinner, shower then catch up with homework and studying. During my “free time” I would meet with teachers to make up the work I have missed due to leaving early every day, or being away and traveling,  even for weeks, to official competitive tournaments. Although, I was studying until 1:00am some nights and getting little sleep, my parents would tell me to get some sleep every time they caught me studying late at night.

Playing for Penn State on the NCAA Div. I

I knew that I wanted to attend college and play in the United States, however, I had no clue how the process worked in terms of rankings, divisions, and academic programs. It was overwhelming to do the research on my own.

I was 16 years old when coach Erica watched me play for the first time. Our U-20 national team was invited to an ODP tournament in Boca Raton, FL for Thanksgiving. She was coaching one of the Regional teams participating in the tournament and we played against each other. Coach Erica showed great interest in having me on her Penn State team, and that meant the world to me. I felt at peace when choosing PSU, and it was the best decision for me. Penn State (PSU) is also an excellent school!

MAC Hermann Trophy Award

Being the recipient of the 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy Award for best female player in NCAA Division I soccer means a lot to me. There are so many great players every year competing for the trophy, that I never imagined I would be competing and even earning such a prestigious award!

Earning this trophy was really important for me because it made me realize that even someone who has not had the ideal conditions to excel in a sport -in comparison to other contestants, can still succeed. It made me realize that in this life, there is hope for everyone; even for those whose odds are not in their favor.

Sky Blue FC and the NWSL

I was very excited to know Sky Blue FC was interested in having me play for them, and then be their pick during the 2016 NWSL College Draft. I found out the morning of the draft. I am not going to lie, I was nervous but excited for the opportunity and eager to see what this new chapter was going to be like.

Being on loan with the Perth Glory for the Australian W-League during the NWSL off-season from October 2017 to February 2018 was a very pleasant experience that I really enjoyed. The teammates I had were beyond amazing, and getting to know such a beautiful country was also a blessing that I never thought I would experience.  The Australian style of play is very direct and physical, which made me grow and learn as a professional even more.