After spending the 2016 NWSL season with Seattle Reign FC, forward Manon Melis has announced her retirement from professional soccer. It was Melis’ first season playing in the United States, something which had long been a goal for the Netherlands native.
“Every time you go to a new country or a new league you learn a lot of things. Not only on the field but off the field too,” said Melis. “I really wanted the experience of living in the U.S. and learning how people are here. The people in Seattle were so kind and helpful, and made my time here really special.”
Melis retired from international soccer earlier this year, after the Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. During her 12-year career with the national team, Melis helped the country to its first ever World Cup appearance in 2015. She is the all-time leading scorer for the Netherlands’ women’s national team, with 55 goals over her 132 caps.
The forward came to Seattle after spending all of her career in the Swedish Damallsvenskan. Melis was the Damallsvenskan’s top scorer in her 2010 and 2011 seasons with LdB FC Malmö.
Melis was finally able to make her long-awaited move to play in the United States last season. The forward immediately became a staple in Reign FC’s starting lineup, with her speed up top proving a challenge to other teams.
“Playing in the U.S. was something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and it was a great season,” said Melis. “We wanted to reach the playoff games, and while we didn’t it was still a good season for me. Just the experience of the league and everything around it was nice.”
Due to a fractured tibia, Melis appeared in 16 of Reign FC’s 20 matches this season, starting in 15. After returning from injury, Melis found her form in the NWSL, at one point scoring in five straight matches.
Melis earned NWSL Player of the Week honors for her performance in Week 16, when she scored a brace to help Reign FC defeat rival Portland Thorns FC.
“Most of the time in other leagues you have two or three really good teams, but here in the NWSL all of the teams are good,” said Melis. “Every game is tough and its very equal. I really liked that every game was so hard and there was no game you thought would be an easy win. There’s so many good players.”
The Netherlands native led Reign FC in goals this season with seven, and was named the club’s Golden Boot winner for the season. With those goals Melis helped Seattle to an NWSL record scoring streak at home that now stands at 16 straight games. She also provided two assists during her final professional season.
“I’ve been away from home for ten years, playing abroad,” said Melis. “Being away from my husband all the time wasn’t fun anymore. I wanted to play in the U.S. and I did it and it went very well, but I feel ready for new steps in my life.”
