2024/25 Young Player of the Year and Academy Contract shines in the Gainbridge Super League with NCAA future still ahead
DALLAS – Making your professional debut is a nerve-racking experience for any athlete, nonetheless for a 16-year-old. That anxiety would naturally be multiplied exponentially if that match were against FC Barcelona, one of the most successful and historic clubs in the sport’s history.
“As soon as I heard that we were playing [Barcelona] and I was going to be allowed to play, I think I lost it,” said Dallas Trinity FC midfielder Sealey Strawn. “Those are people you watch on TV. It was such an honor for me because I don’t think many players in their career get to say that [they played against them]. When I found out a day or two before that I’d be starting the game, I was really nervous.”
Strawn kicked off her Dallas Trinity career from the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium against a Barcelona squad that featured Aitana Bonmatí, the reigning Ballon d’Or award winner. Despite the nerves she felt, and the color that might’ve been missing from her face as she lined up, the Texas native took the moment in stride, just as she has with countless opportunities throughout her young career that make her poised to be one of the stars of the next generation.
Growing up in what started as a basketball household, Strawn was introduced to soccer in the way that so many younger siblings are, tagging along with her older brother.
“He would bring me into the backyard and make me defend him or go against him, and that’s how I started falling in love with the sport,” recalled Strawn.
It wasn’t long before she told her parents, “This is what I want to do,” and eventually joined her local rec team in Tyler, Texas. Strawn made her way into academy programs across the area before landing at Solar SC, one of the region’s top development programs.
“Solar was a step up in competitiveness and intensity, especially in practices, because there’s so many good players on that team,” said Strawn
When Strawn joined Solar over four years ago, Executive Director Adrian Solca saw a talented player with a high ceiling and a bright future ahead.
“She’s quick, she’s creative, she’s wonderful in tight spaces; she always rises to the occasion,” said Solca.
At Solar, Strawn joined star-studded lineups that have seen success launching professional careers. Stepping into the competitive environment pushed Strawn at a critical time in her player development, forcing her to up her speed of play, improve her touch, sharpen her confidence taking opponents on, and add a degree of explosivity to her game.
“Sealey really grew into the player that was able to change the game on her own,” said Solca.
One of the crowning moments of Strawn’s tenure with Solar came at the 2023 ECNL Girls U16 Final. Strawn provided a second-half equalizer in a wild game that ended in a 6-5 Solar victory, delivering her second national championship with the program.
The same summer, the United Soccer League announced its initial markets for the soon-to-be USL Super League, naming Dallas as one of the future homes of a professional women’s soccer club.
“I was so excited to hear there was going to be a pro team in my hometown,” said Strawn. “I didn’t know that this would be the opportunity I’d be given.”
What was initially outlined by the coaching staff at Solar as an opportunity to train a few times a week with Dallas Trinity evolved into Strawn becoming a full-time member of the team and able to compete in professional matches while on an Academy Contract.
“I was so shocked in that moment,” recalled Strawn. “I remember walking back to my car, calling my parents, and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do, this is a great development opportunity.’ It didn’t even take me a second to decide; I knew this is what I was going to do.”
As a soon-to-be 17-year-old, Strawn became entwined in Dallas’ initial roster, learning firsthand what it takes to play at a professional level. The rising star was mentored by experienced players on the team like Amber Brooks and Chioma Ubogagu, who helped her build up her confidence and find her voice on the team.
“I had players help me and push me to be more confident, and I think that’s really when my quality of play started to show,” said Strawn.
Despite becoming a full-time member of a professional roster as a teenager, Strawn has taken each opportunity in stride as a learning experience and portrayed the commitment of a veteran. She worked to adapt to the increased speed of play and increased physicality at the professional level.
“The reason why Sealey has done so well is she’s embraced this from day one,” said Dallas Trinity General Manager Chris Petrucelli. “She’s at every training session, she does everything she’s supposed to, she doesn’t miss a thing.”
Nine days before making her debut in the USL Super League with Trinity, Strawn announced her commitment to play soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the premier collegiate women’s soccer programs in the country. Just as it is for students aiming to play professional sports and those who are not, Strawn said the college recruitment process was overwhelming, especially as she tried to respond to each message she received from prospective coaches. UNC was the final visit she made, and the school left a good impression.
“I went there with an expectation, and they surpassed it,” said Strawn. “It felt very family-oriented, and that’s something that I was really looking for in a school. I also had a close friend there, Trinity Armstrong, and the things she said about how [the program] developed her already in two months, I knew that’s where I needed to be because development is the biggest thing in my career; there’s always something you can learn no matter where you are.”
With her college commitment made, Strawn began racking up minutes in a professional league as her Academy Contract maintained her NCAA eligibility.
The Texas native made an impact for Dallas throughout the club’s inaugural season, making 19 appearances and seven starts. She tallied four goals and two assists, leaving her third on the team in goal contributions, and propelling her to be named the 2024/25 Young Player of the Year.
“Every time she went in, she was effective, and then she started scoring goals,” said Petrucelli on how Strawn earned the trust of the coaching and management staff. “It got to a point where you had to play her.”
While Strawn was excelling in the Super League, she still played and trained with Solar to keep her sharp and active throughout the season.
“There were times where I would travel with Trinity, and then the next morning, me and one of my teammates flew out at 5 a.m. to go to Houston for Solar,” recalled Strawn. “It was very physically exhausting at points, but Trinity did a great job to not overload us too much.”
Playing for both a professional team and a club team at once, Strawn’s development as a player rose with Trinity, and her development as a leader took off with Solar.
“I always try to be coachable,” said Strawn, something that Solca and Petrucelli acknowledged as one of her strengths.
All the hard work Strawn has put in throughout her young career has begun to pay off as she has now received multiple call-ups to the United States Youth National Team, starting at U-15s. Last November, Strawn was called up to the U-20 Women’s National Team training camp in Spain. More recently, Strawn scored in the U-19’s 2-0 win over Czechia, a goal that was assisted by the current leading scorer in the Gainbridge Super League, Ashlyn Puerta.
“There’s so many good players there who are at different levels,” said Strawn. “It’s hard to play with players you’ve never played with before, so getting that chemistry down during the training sessions was really exciting because you get the opportunity to play with all these different players.”
Now in her second season of professional soccer, Strawn is hoping to keep developing many of the attributes she has seen herself improve on already, like scanning the pitch to be ready for her next move to complement her speed and quality on the ball. Off the pitch, she has been fully embraced by her teammates and now has found a leadership role helping fellow Academy Contract players Caroline Swann and Rhea Moore, who were with Trinity at points during the 2025/26 season.
Strawn has featured in all 16 of Trinity’s league games this season and scored in the club’s friendly against Mexican side Club America. She is currently tied with Allie Thornton for the team lead with three goals.
“Knowing that I’m able to compete at this level already helps me to know that whenever I do decide to sign pro, it’s an extra level of confidence to know I can already compete and I can make it there because I’m already doing it at a young age.”
Petrucelli acknowledges the tremendous benefit the Academy Contract provides for Strawn and other young players in their development, as well as the value it can provide for the club.
“You come to our games, and you see a bunch of kids watching her and dreaming of being her one day,” said Petrucelli.
Having achieved so much already in her career, Strawn has not lost the perspective that there is so much ahead of her and plenty for her to learn.
“Mistakes are a learning opportunity,” said Strawn. “Anything that’s a setback or anything like that is an opportunity to learn and grow. Just enjoy it. You play the sport because you love it, and it’s hard, yes, but you love the sport for a reason, so continue to love it and have fun.”