Madelyn Desiano talks UCLA's NCAA lore, aspiring authorship, and new Danish horzions

[NOTE: You can listen to the full podcast interview below]

Every now and then Madelyn Desiano is absorbed by nostalgia. Rarely too much time passes without her phone going off, and a former teammate popping up with a message regarding December 5th, 2022.

That is the night she and the UCLA Bruins won the 2022 NCAA Championship, the most prestigious soccer trophy in American collegiate sport.

Against UNC, in North Carolina, that final saw the Californians overcome an astonishing 2-0 deficit as late as the 80th minute to then eventually win 3-2 after extra time.

"She literally texted me last night," Desiano says with a beaming smile, talking to Squad Depth via video call. "This is us, every couple of months: 'I can't believe we won?' And, I'm like: 'Say, Mari.'"

In this instance, it is her former UCLA roommate and best friend Maricarmen Reyes, the player – or "baller" in Desiano's words – who scored the championship-winning goal in the 107th minute.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder is now a key figure for Tigres UANL in LigaMX Femenil, where she has scored 31 goals for the club since January 2023.

In NCAA soccer, the clock counts down rather than up. There are also 10-minute periods of extra time. Thus, Desiano, with no reminder needed, vividly recalls Reyes' historic strike hitting the back of the net with 3:22 left on the clock. She can still experience the moment like it just happened.

"The photos pop up, and you miss the girls, I miss the girls. And you know, that feeling. That feeling, it definitely is something I'll never, never forget," she muses.

Desiano then pauses, wistfully. Warmly smiling again."We just relive it. We relive it a lot."

The stunning comeback is arguably one of the greatest in the history of NCAA Soccer.

And, you know what, if I had played in that game I would probably proverbially pinch myself to check it was real often as well.

Another reason that trophy means so much to Desiano is because of what she overcame to stand on that podium on a winter's night.

After joining UCLA in 2018, back-to-back ACL injuries curtailed her first two years of college soccer.

As she approached a return in 2020, COVID-19 then shutdown what would have been her third season for UCLA. But the pandemic stopping play did allow Desiano to spend more time rehabbing rather than rushing back to high-intensity soccer.

After another surgery in 2020, she returned in 2021 feeling stronger than ever and led UCLA in assists with nine.

Then in 2022, she played in all 25 matches (including the entire 110 minutes of the College Cup final), and exploded onto the scene as a marauding one-on-one defender.

But Desiano's affinity for UCLA and the 2022 season goes beyond just catching up with friends and teammates. The 24-year-old has begun writing a book about her illustrious era in Westwood, Los Angeles.

"It [the book] is from my perspective. I do have hours and hours of zoom calls with so many people, with teammates, with coaches. I actually got an interview with [former UNC coach] Anson Dorrance, which is just crazy timing. He just retired. He gave me a lot of insight," explained Desiano.

"I'm currently writing this novel, and in the very beginning I will talk about watching the 2013 UCLA team win the NCAA championship...Hopefully, within the next two years, it gets out and everyone can read that story."

By some stroke of universal curiosity, the 2013 team also won their final at WakeMed Soccer Park, North Carolina, with a goal in the second half of extra-time with 3:22 left on the clock.

Growing up in San Clemente, Southern California, some of her most profound experiences watching soccer were as a fan cheering on the Bruins at Drake athletics stadium. UCLA now plays at the Wallis-Anneburg soccer-specific stadium.

The 2013 championship-winning team left an everlasting impression on her not only because of their greatness but because she would cross paths with many of the greats from that team in the NWSL a decade later.

In particular Caprice Dydasco, who Desiano became teammates with after being drafted by the Houston Dash as the final pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.

To make the impression even greater, Dydasco, a former NWSL Defender of the Year, also plays the same position, full back, as Desiano.

"Really good player, good person. Dependable. Caprice [Dydasco] is probably one of the most dependable people out there, you know? Just always shows up. Solid, good leader. I learned a lot from her," said Desiano.

Houston may have struggled in 2023 and eventually finished 10th. But the defensive unit performed well, and more than anything were incredibly consistent at the back. No team conceded fewer goals than the Dash in 2023.

There was no way for Desiano to break into the team past Dydasco, Michelle Alozie, or Natalie Jacobs. She finished that season with just 23 league minutes played, although there was a spectacular goal against Kansas City in the cup on her first-ever professional start.

With her health back, and her football in better shape than ever, her start to life as a professional didn't pan out as she hoped. After struggling to feature with Houston in 2023, she was released by the club a few days into the 2024 season.

Desiano understands it is part of the game. Her mind honed in on being good teammate, an active and reliable training player. She credited former assistant coach Sarah Lowdon for giving her lots of work and education away from matchdays to better her game.

And, Desiano is a realist. At the beginning of 2024, there was also a style-clash as new Dash head coach Fran Alonso came in wanting to use wing-backs in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Success in Texas wasn't to be.

"I was told like, we're not going to play with full backs. We're gonna play with attacking wing backs. I don't fit the system. You know, you could appreciate what the coaching staff and players, what we were trying to do...I'm just gonna have a good attitude," Desiano said.

After being released by the Dash in April, Desiano took up a gig as a practice squad player with Racing Louisville through the remainder of the spring and into the beginning of the summer.

The move kept her sharp and ready for the next big jump. A vault across the Atlantic to play for Odense in the Danish women's top division, the Kvindeliga.

Desiano said even when she was graduating UCLA she always envisioned that she would play outside the United States. In many ways, the move to Denmark this summer is a return to her original development plan.

More than anything though, it is a move motivated by getting minutes and returning to be a key contributor on a team.

"Basically the criteria was like, I need to play, like, I need get minutes, and that kind of was it. I need to play outside back. They need a full back," she explained.

True to form, another setback led to another great comeback from Desiano.

On her first start for Odense, Desiano notched her first-ever assist as professional footballer. Chipping the ball over the keeper and into the path of Anna Krog to score the only goal in a 1-0 win over HB Koge.

Despite this being Odense's first season in the Kvindeliga, after being promoted from the second division in 2023-24, De Stribede (The Stripes) are ambitious about making a title push.

Desiano is one of several Americans recruited by the Danish club during the summer. Creative midfielder Emily Gray has been brought in on loan from the Utah Royals, with Sophie French and Ryan Childers also bringing more NWSL experience.

For at least the next year, Desiano is looking to grow in a foreign country and footballing community. Take in the culture and get back to feeling like the athlete she knows she can be. All that, while polishing off her first novel of course.

"Lots of ups and downs, but I'm just grateful. Honestly, that I can still play and get to do something that I love to do despite the setbacks. I think that's just part of what we go through as athletes. It sucks at times. But I think when you're finally where you're supposed to be, it's like, okay, this was meant to happen."