In the United States, money usually dictates those who get the opportunity to make a career out of soccer. In a youth soccer system dictated by exorbitant fees and excessive membership costs, many athletes are forced to look elsewhere or compete at no more than a recreational level.



The daughter of a single parent, Addisyn was mostly raised by her mother and grandmother in the absence of a father she wouldn't meet till highschool. The financial constraints of a single parent are tough, especially when raising 4 children all involved athletically.

There were times where she had to consider quitting club soccer due to financial limitations but fortunately her mother and grandmother always found a way.

Merrick picked up the game in the footsteps of her two older siblings, who played soccer at one point or the other. Part of a very athletic family, her biological father played professional baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while her older brother was a draft pick for the Kansas City Royals and would play in the farm system for a few years.