(Photo by Daniel Castrillon / New Day Review)

ORLANDO, Fla. – It wasn’t a decision that was made on a whim. Former Orlando Pride midfielder Maddy Evans retired from her professional-playing career following a 5-0, midseason thumping of Sky Blue FC on Aug. 12. But the 26-year-old is hesitant to even use the word “retire,” as she isn’t completely closing the door on a return.

“It’s weird because when I was going through this whole process, I was really hesitant to use the word ‘retire,’ in general,” Evans said after her final match. “I think my dad said it best, and my mom—she’s right over there, by the way—said, ‘You’re just changing gears, really.’ I mean, I’ve learned so much from his, and I’m gonna apply what I’ve done here in my five years of playing pro to do whatever I do next.

“But I think that if there’s a team in Philadelphia, that would be phenomenal. Obviously Orlando, this club and this organization and these fans, it’s a dream to play here. It’s incredible. Even when say you’re not getting the minutes that you want or whatever—you’re having a bad day—you need to look at what we have here, and it’s absolutely unbelievable, and I’m so thankful for that. So, it would be hard to go anywhere else after here, but, yeah, I mean, I’m retired, but I still love playing.

“So, if there’s a chance, maybe, some day.”

Between nearly two seasons with the Pride and three seasons with her previous team, the Boston Breakers, Evans recorded four assists and two goals on 3,842 minutes in 74 appearances and 39 starts. Of those 39 starts, it was her last one that would remain as her favorite memory in her pro career: a full 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Aug. 8.

“Honestly, last game on Tuesday. Just the—that entire 90 minutes was, no joke, my favorite game that I’ve played in the league and as a pro,” Evans said. “I think that the first half was a bit frustrating, but the second half was just so much fun. And I was able to soak all that in, and it was just pretty fortuitous that that was my last full game.”

Despite the fond memories she’s made over her five-year career in the National Women’s Soccer League and abroad, Evans is faced with a more immediate, more troubling truth. The second-year Pride player, who was selected with the Pride’s No. 9 pick in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft, was making just $16,000 a year. That puts her about $4,000 above the poverty line in the United States for one-person households.

“At the end of the day, my decision wasn’t made on one or two things. It was made on a bunch of different things. But I’m 26, turning 27, and I make $16,000 a year playing in this league, and I’m in the fifth year of this league, and I’m thankful for everything that I get here, but I think that, eventually, we need to grow to a point where players can make some money, and my decision was not based just on money—I promise you that.

“But that is something that we need to continue to build for, and I think that Orlando is setting the standard for what a professional team in this league needs to look like, and I’m very, very thankful for that. I think that, obviously, it’s gotten better every single year, so we’re looking at it on the up. Unfortunately, it just didn’t stay kind of caught up with where I needed to be.”

Former teammate and Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris took the challenge to improve the women’s game head on. While she knew the decision Evans made wasn’t an easy one, Harris also knew it was a decision she had to make.

“Maddy is a true professional and team player. Everything it stands for,” Harris said after the win over Sky Blue. “She cares for this team like you wouldn’t believe, and she’s selfless. And it’s not easy to watch from the sidelines, and every day she, you know, pulls her boots up and her socks, and she gets down, and she makes us better. And she doesn’t complain. And I have so much respect for her.

“It’s sad to see her go, but I told her that we will keep pushing this game, the women’s game, because we have to have good players make tough decisions. And that’s, ‘Do I make enough money to make it sustainable? Can I survive off of this?’ It’s a dream, but it needs to be a career, and my words to her is, ‘I’m gonna keep fighting that for the next generation, the next people who play don’t have to make the choice she made tonight.’”

Evans graduated from Penn State University with her bachelor’s in English. She also earned a master’s in organizational leadership in Chicago. She will move home to Pennsylvania where she has accepted an undisclosed job.

For more on the Pride, as they make their playoff push following the departure of Evans, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.