Messiah Bright has 'unfinished business' with TCU, will return for fifth year

There certainly isn’t one right way to transition from top collegiate athlete to professional soccer player.

This offseason alone has seen Julia Grosso of Texas opt to start her career in Italy with Juventus, while another 2021 first team All-American in Diana Ordoñez called her time at the University of Virginia short after three years in order to make the leap to the NWSL as soon as possible. 

But when the NWSL released the names of all the eligible players for selection in the 2021 College Draft on Tuesday, it was a surprise not to see TCU forward Messiah Bright amongst those declared. 

Bright closed out a magnificent senior year in 2021 by breaking her own record for goals in a single season with 17, and secured her first-ever first team All-American placement and MAC Hermann Trophy Award semifinalist nomination. With everything trending in the right direction, now seems like the optimum time for Bright to try and make it at the next level.

“I just feel like this [TCU] is my team,” said Bright, speaking to The Striker over a video call from Fort Worth. “I feel like we still have a lot of unfinished business. "I want to win another Big 12 Championship. Plus, trying to make it to the Final Four. That's one of my goals. That needs to be resolved. I feel like I still owe that to TCU.

“I think it just shows our hunger and our drive. We've been labeled for so long as the underdogs. But we have a group of really talented girls that are on our team. It shows a lot of drive and resilience that we still want to be on a higher platform. We know that we can play with the best.”

Under head coach Eric Bell, the Horned Frogs have bowed out at the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen stages of the past two NCAA tournaments after entering as Big 12 Conference champions.  

At the 2020 NCAA tournament, TCU were narrowly edged out 1-0 by Virginia. That appearance in the Elite Eight phase of competition was a historic school first for TCU. In this most recent NCAA tournament, TCU fought tooth and nail to get to back to the national quarterfinals but ultimately could not reach the same highs as in the prior season.

In keeping with her banner 2021 year, Bright played some of her best soccer when she notched her first ever career hat-trick in the 3-2 victory against Princeton. TCU were subsequently eliminated in a dramatic penalty shootout to Rutgers in the Sweet Sixteen, after the match finished 1-1. Despite goalkeeper Lauren Kellett making two athletic saves to give the Horned Frogs a fighting chance in the shootout, TCU eventually fell 5-4. 

READ MORE: The story behind how TCU became 'Goalkeeper-U'

Although Bright could not convert her penalty kick on that rainy day in New Jersey, the Dallas native said the pain was fleeting.

“We picked ourselves up really quick, because of the [2021] season that we did have,” she said. “We felt that we dominated that game, and it was just unfortunate that we ran out of time. We let ourselves know that it's okay. We're not done. We'll be back better and stronger.

“There were a lot of happy smiley faces. You would kind of be shocked, because we just lost. But I felt that we had a lot to be proud of. So there was really no time for sadness, you know, it's just moving on and learning how to get better.”

Bright is entitled to an extra year of NCAA eligibility because of COVID-19, and the forward is fully focused on giving everything for her school program rather than moving straight into the professional soccer ranks.

For Bright, the culture that coach Bell has instilled in the program drove her decision to stay in Fort Worth.

“Our team is very close. You don't really get that a lot within a lot of college programs,” said Bright. “Coach Bell has helped me tremendously, especially with my growth of the game, as well as just being like another father figure. It’s a home away from home, so I can go in and pretty much talk to him about anything.”

After such a tumultuous year in the NWSL, where nine out of 10 coaches left their clubs with five of those under allegations of abusive behaviors, is it possible that the league is putting off the most talented college players?

“It's disheartening,” said Bright of the NWSL. “It does make you feel blessed that you come from a community and a coaching staff that cares about you. Sometimes it does cause you to steer in another direction, whether you do want to play overseas or stay. But I feel like things are getting better.”

In a year’s time, after another tremendous year with TCU, perhaps Bright’s name will appear on the list of NWSL hopefuls.

“My dad and I talked a lot about the future,” said Bright. “Being patient and working hard. I'll keep working hard. I'm not really sure what will happen at the next level just yet. But when the time comes, I'll be ready.”