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Cardinals in the Pros
April 06, 2015 | Women's Soccer
Rachel Melhado came to the University of Louisville after a distinguished youth club career in Canada. During her time for the Cardinals she started in a remarkable 74 of 77 games, a number that would've been higher had she not missed the start of the 2012 season while representing Canada at the Under 20 World Cup in Japan.
Melhado was a staple in the Cards back line from the moment she stepped on campus and established herself as one of the best players to come through the University of Louisville's Women's soccer program. She is currently playing professionally in Germany's Bundesliga for Herforder SV and is fighting to break into the Canadian National Team picture as she continues her career in one of the premier, perhaps even the premier league in Europe.
We will feature reflections from Rachel regarding her time in Germany periodically throughout the remainder of her season to provide a behind the scenes perspective of what it's like to play in one of the best leagues in the World. Here is the first edition:
The start to April brings in the beginning of the third month of my time here in Germany. I arrived here in Herford, Germany at the end of January where I am playing for Herforder SV Borussia Friedenstal in the women's Bundesliga 1st division. Playing for Herforder SV, not only embarks on my first overseas experience, but also my first professional opportunity to play in an amazing league against some the best competition in the world. I signed with Herforder SV for the second half of the season from February until June and although it is a short playing period, it is amazing exposure and the amount of experienced gained already has been beyond anything I could have imagined.
I joined Herforder SV after a rough start to the season and in need of a few W's on the board. It has been a tough first couple months really trying to get to know the girls both on and off the field, especially with the language barrier causing some miscommunications during the hard and fast minutes of the game. Although it has been an adjustment, we have made changes and tried new things that have really helped us be more successful and play more as a unit, so I am excited to see how the remainder of season goes with some big games coming up against Bayern München and Wolfsburg.
Herford is a pretty small town with approx. 60,000 people and not very many attractions. The good thing about the location of Herford is that it is a few short hours away from bigger cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg. It is also only a few hours from the borders of Netherlands and Belgium, which I hope to visit soon! I live with one other girl on the team and she is from here in Germany. We play next to each other on the field, so it's nice to have someone to talk to about the game and discuss what we can do to better help each other.
Overall, I am really enjoying my experience here in Germany. It is a beautiful country with some really great people. The language on the other hand is not one of the easier ones to learn. I have been at it for two months now and still find it quite difficult to understand the language. I got the basic German done and the soccer terms so I can better communicate with my teammates on the field. Playing in this league has been top notch and allows for great exposure and opportunities and I am very excited to see what comes next!
