Mia Fishel's unique journey to the top, told by those who know her

The Chelsea striker turned down the NWSL to head to Mexico and has had to wait for her national team chance. Those who coached her tell a story of a player following her own mind...

Mia Fishel may be set for a fast-tracked role for Chelsea with Sam Kerr out injured. Image: Sportimage

When Mia Fishel joined Chelsea last summer, the American forward admitted Emma Hayes confided in her she’d been brought in to offer back-up to star striker, Sam Kerr.

The 22-year-old, coming for big money after an eye-catching 18 months in Mexico’s Liga MX with Tigres, is well thought of as one of the most highly-rated young players in the world, but there was an acceptance on both sides Fishel would have to be patient in an attack lined with stars, particularly the Australian.

But that has now changed, after Kerr became the latest victim of the devastating ACL epidemic during Chelsea’s warm weather training camp in Morocco over the winter break.

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After taking just 11 minutes to rescue her side’s FA Cup campaign when coming off the bench, Fishel led the line at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United on Sunday, an early sign of the added responsibility she may now have to take on in the absence of Kerr, with the striker likely to be miss most, if not all, of 2024.

But those who know her paint a picture of someone who thinks well beyond her years. One trait which consistently comes up is humility, but with it a driven belief in every decision she makes to the benefit her own career, such as turning down the lure of the NWSL for a developing league south of the border.

Long before that though, Fishel was a promising young talent playing close to home in San Diego, playing for local youth side San Diego Surf, following in the footsteps of future Chelsea teammate Catarina Macario, and was tearing it up for the USA youth teams, particularly in the regional CONCACAF Championships.

“Even right now that humility she has, she had when she was 14…”

Come 2018, Fishel was selected for the Under 17 World Cup by English head coach Mark Carr, who had worked with the striker for several years through the age groups, and gave her the added responsibility of captain, in a squad which included the likes of Trinity Rodman.

“I see her now on TV with Chelsea and that humility is still there,” says Carr. “How she carries herself…you’d think when you play for a club like Chelsea there’s all this glory, the grandiose feeling if you like, but even right now that humility she has, she had when she was 14.

“She was a sponge for learning, a sponge for growing, a sponge for just working hard. I remember being in a camp in Portland when she was 14 and she just worked, she improved, she listens to feedback and consistently gets better.”

Carr tells the story of how his daughter, who is now the same age as Fishel was when he started coaching her, follows her progress because she knows her dad coached the striker, and he uses Fishel’s personality traits as inspiration for his own daughter’s path.

“I always say ‘Mia’s very smart’. She knows what she’s good at, she uses that. She’s so good with her movement, but her humility and how she carries herself? She’s had that all along.”