Taylor Isom spoke to Carla Haslam after being selected 14th in the 2018 NWSL draft:
What was going through your head when you got drafted?
“When I saw the foreign number calling my phone, I knew it was Laura, and my heart started racing! On my i-watch it showed that my heart beat jumped to 150. And when I answered the phone, Laura just said “You’re staying home!” And that’s when I started to cry.”
The Royals had the 14th pick. How do you feel about being their inaugural pick?
“I have an excitement for being drafted and to be home that I can’t even describe. It is incredible for me to be a part of a program that wants to do amazing things for soccer and for the women’s game. I love that Laura and Dell Loy Hansen want to put women’s soccer exposure in the state of Utah. And then Dell Loy Hansen told me that he was so excited, to which I told him, I am more excited than you. He said that wasn’t possible.”
What does it mean to you to stay in Utah?
“I have always dreamed of being a professional soccer player, and now that is a reality. It is incredible that I get to play in a stadium that I’ve been visiting and watching games in since I was little. It’s so cool that I get to call the stadium where I won a high school championship, and played in, home. I used to come and watch games here, and now I get to call that stadium home.”
And I imagine you've already received an outreach of support?
“All of my teammates from club to BYU have made an impact on my soccer development, and I couldn’t have done without them.”
How are you going to contribute to the Utah Royals FC?
“Now that I have been drafted, I just want to go in and soak in everything I can. I want to learn. Learn from all the players that I grew up following. I grew up following Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara, and Desiree Scott, and I want to follow in their lead and do everything that the coaches ask of me.”
