‘Those who didn't know Mia Fishel know her now!’ - New USWNT star is exactly what Chelsea and Sam Kerr need following superb Women’s Super League debut

Fishel’s path to joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, her childhood team and the dominant force in English women’s football, has been by no means ordinary. As a 20-year-old, she was one of the top attacking prospects in the 2022 NWSL Draft and it was no surprise to see the Orlando Pride jump at the chance to select her as the fifth overall pick in December 2021. The club had just seen Alex Morgan leave for the San Diego Wave and the coach, Amanda Cromwell, worked with Fishel at college.

But the young forward wanted something that the draft couldn’t give her. “I wanted to take control of my own destiny,” she told GOAL in early 2022. Instead of moving to Orlando, Fishel crossed the border into Mexico. She signed for Tigres, one of the top teams in Liga MX Femenil, a league massively on the up that had only allowed foreign signings for the first time in 2021, having been founded just four years prior.

“What I did was historic,” she said. “You don't see U.S. players coming to Mexico. This hasn't been done yet. The rate at which the league has been growing was very appealing. They've only been here for five years or so and the global media recognition, the passionate fans, playing in [large] stadiums, you just don't get that in the U.S. I think that I deserve to be in a place where I would be appreciated and seen.”

Fishel’s comments upon joining Tigres showed the belief she had in herself and also her ambition. If anyone had any doubts as to why, then she exhibited all the reasons with her performances in Mexico. The forward netted 47 goals in 64 games across two seasons, those contributions helping her team to win two major titles and herself a Golden Boot.

“On the absolute rise, not because of hype, but because of true genuine desire to grow and be the best version of herself day in and day out,” Tigres head coach Carmelina Moscato said of Fishel earlier this year. “I mean it when I say it’s her driving the bus. I’m just there for guidance. She’s vision clear.”

But despite Fishel hitting the back of the net at a remarkable rate in a league that was regularly proving that it was constantly growing in quality, one thing was missing: a call from the United States women’s national team.

She had been involved in a training camp in late 2020 while still at college, but onlookers were left surprised time and time again that head coach Vlatko Andonovski otherwise opted against bringing Fishel in to evaluate her in the national-team environment, even while she was on fire for Tigres.

“We do follow her form and her performances,” he said in August 2022. “But I also have to say that there are a lot of players in the NWSL that are performing as good as or maybe better than Mia that we’re very happy to see.”

Back in January, the message was the same. “Mia is a very good young player,” Andonovski said, before adding: “Right now, after looking at everything, we decided the players that we have in camp are going to give us the best chance to be successful.”

Sadly, that never changed in Andonovski’s tenure or while Fishel was in Mexico. Whether that was about the player, the coach or the league, it’s unclear, but things have changed dramatically in the last few weeks.

On August 4, Fishel completed her dream move when she was announced as a Chelsea player. “I’m excited to know London, to meet the people and get to know everybody,” she said. “I’m blessed and excited to start this journey with Chelsea.”

A few weeks later, before she had even kicked a ball competitively for her new club, Fishel was called into a USWNT camp by interim coach Twila Kilgore, the 43-year-old taking the position after Andonovski left his role following the team’s shock last-16 exit at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. On September 24, against South Africa, Fishel made her senior international debut.

“Dreams to reality,” she wrote on social media. “And it’s just the beginning.”

When Fishel joined Chelsea, many wondered where she would fit into a team already stacked with attackers. What would her role be? Where would she play? How many minutes would she get?

Speaking to the Evening Standard before the new season, Fishel offered a little insight in that respect. “Emma was telling me Sam Kerr didn’t have a back-up [last season],” she said. “She had to play a lot of minutes and she didn’t have another person to come in when she needed it. For the team to be better, I needed to come in to help Sam Kerr when she doesn’t need to be in the game. That [means] a big role.”

Since joining the Blues midway through the 2019-20 season, Kerr has been ever-present. She’s won four league titles, three FA Cup trophies and the Continental Cup twice for the club, picking up two Golden Boots and countless individual accolades in the process.

But when you are such an incredible goalscorer and you are so important to your team, a team that plays so many significant fixtures throughout a season, rests can be few and far between. It’s not only important for a player’s health but also their form, to keep them fresh and on their toes. For Chelsea, it gives them another option, too, and relieves some of the scoring burden on their star striker.

The Blues did have a back-up for Kerr for the first half of last season, but Bethany England didn’t want to play that role anymore. Entering her prime years at 28, she left in January to join Spurs – and scored at a goal-per-game ratio between then and the end of the season to make a successful late charge for England’s World Cup squad.

At 22 years old, Fishel is not in the same position. She’s only just arrived at one of the best teams in the world and she is still young, with so much to learn. There aren't many better ways to improve as a young centre-forward than by watching a master like Kerr in such close quarters.

Sunday offered a promising glimpse of life for Chelsea with Kerr and Fishel, too. After her exploits for Australia at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the former wasn’t quite ready for the Blues’ WSL opener. No problem – in came Fishel to steal the show.

“She’s one player who has been with us the whole of pre-season and I think it’s really helped her because she’s been able to build some relationships and work on parts of her game in the last six weeks,” Hayes said afterwards. “If she’d been at the World Cup, I think she would have been much further behind because we’ve been able to do a lot of individual work with her and get her up to the speed of the way our team plays.

"I still think there are other steps for her to take. Her link-up, her build-up play is really, really good, but sometimes I want a second movement from her and I think that physically she still has to develop to be able to do that. But she’s smart, really smart, and I thought she grew in the game. Even when she tired, she made good decisions. I’m not surprised to see her get that goal today.”

Executing 23 of her 26 passes successfully, including 13 of 16 in the final third, completing three dribbles and creating two chances for team-mates while also finding the back of the net herself, it was a wonderful debut for a childhood Chelsea fan, one who will’ve certainly endeared herself to the fans inside Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

As Hayes put it: “For those that didn't know who Mia Fishel was before, they certainly do now.” And there will be a lot more for them to enjoy from her in the years to come.