55. Raquel Rodriguez - Midfielder for Costa Rican Women’s National Team, Portland Thorns FC

What it takes to realize your childhood dream. In a world where amateur and professional sports have become an arms race that is often defined by the  “Haves” and the “Have Nots” Raquel Rodriguez shares her journey from being a young aspiring soccer star in Costa Rica to becoming the NCAA Division I Women’s National Player of the Year (Honda Sports Award, Mac Herman Trophy) and scoring her country’s first ever goal in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.   Raquel Rodriguez was the 2nd overall pick of the NWSL, NWSL Rookie of the Year and is currently a member of the Portland Thorns FC and Costa Rican Women’s National Soccer Team. With an athletic career littered with individual and team accolades Raquel provides a behind the scenes glimpse into the lengths she had to go to raise her level of competition and the adversity that she had to overcome to get to where she is today.   Mentioned In the Show: Seed of the Day Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bYSg7n3M0Ob2pmZaq1CCr?si=XSCO_ySVQ4ChtJVqptlzVA   Follow Raquel: Instagram: @raque_rocky   Follow The Professional Athlete Podcast with Ken Gunter: Instagram: @kengunter_tpa Website: https://www.kengunter.com/ YouTube: Ken Gunter https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRhgjkoSiJXAbS_MIasvvzQ/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kengunterpodcast Audio recorded with SquadCast: https://squadcast.fm/?ref=kengunter Produced By: Justin Gunter, Ken Gunter Music By: Justin Gunter, Ken Gunter