Teammates Again: A World Away
 
When Brooke Parnello stepped onto the field for the first time as a Panther back in the Fall of 2019, she had the opportunity to play with a senior teammate who was finishing up her fourth season of a storied career with the Milwaukee women's soccer team.
 
Little did she know back then that, along with another one of her own teammates, that the three of them would be back together again playing professionally on the same team in the Fall of 2024 in a city on the other side of the world over 6,000 miles away.
 
Parnello played her freshman campaign with McKaela Schmelzer, the 2019 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and one of only two players in program history to start every game of a four-year career. Schmelzer went on to play professionally since, taking to the pitch first as a pro in Greece in both 2023 and again in 2024.
 
In 2020, Clara Broecker joined Parnello for a four-year career that culminated in the Fall of 2023, with Parnello's penalty-kick late in the Horizon League Tournament Championship sending the team to a 1-0 victory over Northern Kentucky and to its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
 
From the start of Schmelzer's career in 2016 to the last game of the 2023 campaign, the trio helped the program to an unbelievable run – claiming the Horizon League regular-season title in seven of those eight seasons while competing in the NCAA Tournament on six occasions. The team's record? An outstanding 114-20-17 (.811 winning percentage), topped by a whopping 64-3-8 (.907) run in regular-season conference play over the course of their careers.
 
As mentioned, Schmelzer has been a pro since graduating college, which actually started with a year off from full-time soccer to wrap up her final campaign on the hardwood for the MKE women's basketball team, where she was also the starting point guard for four seasons.
 
After she finished up college, she signed her first pro deal and moved to Peristeri, Greece, a suburb of Athens, in the Fall of 2022 – to play in the Super League of Greek Football as the starting center midfielder for Atromitos.
 
That first year, the team played in the Second Division and finished in first place. Schmelzer enjoyed her time and returned to Greece the next season. Fast-forward to July of 2024 and Schmelzer signed with a new team – on a new continent. The crazy part? Not only did Schmelzer sign with WFC BIIK-Shymkent in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, but, later in the season, so did Parnello and Broecker. They helped the team to a very successful campaign, finishing in first place while eventually taking part in Champions Path Group Play, where they went 1-1 before being eliminated. They went 16-0-0 in regular-season play, outscoring the competition by a total of 68-4.
 
The staff of the Roar Report caught up with each of the players to share their experience both overseas and as professionals.
 
*What did you think were the biggest differences between the college and professional games?
McKaela Schmelzer: "The biggest difference for me is the length of the season, as the professional season is much longer than a 3-4 month college season. In regard to playing, from my professional experience, I've gotten to play with various girls from many different countries, whereas college is just USA-based. In college, many girls have similar playing history, whereas professionally you get various ages and various playing backgrounds."
 
Brooke Parnello: "I think the type of play is the biggest difference between the two. In college, physicality is a huge part of the game and if you didn't have that, girls were just going to take you down. In contrast, the professional game is much more refined. While physicality is still present, it's more controlled and tactical. At the professional level, there's a greater emphasis on skill, strategy, and reading the game. Players are technically more adept, and the tempo is generally smoother, not relying on physical strength as much and more on finesse and positioning. I found that in the professional environment, there was more of an emphasis on maintaining possession rather than just winning battles for the ball."
 
*What was the biggest adjustment to moving to Kazakhstan?
Schmelzer: "Since our team was so diverse, the most challenging aspect was trying to connect with all of the players. College allowed for many opportunities to connect with our teammates and build relationships, but Kazakhstan was a bit more difficult. I think mostly because of the language barrier and the fact that they always have new players leaving/coming in."
 
Clara Broecker: "I think one of the biggest adjustments to moving to Kazakhstan for me was the time change. From home to Shymkent was an 11-hour time change, so it felt like a big adjustment just to get used to the fact that we were so far away from friends and family at home, both time and distance-wise. Another big adjustment was the difference in culture between the U.S. and Shymkent. There were not many English speakers in Shymkent, which made it a very immersive experience. We made a few good friends who were Kazakh throughout our time there, and it was a really fun experience to have them show us their favorite things to do, as well as different cultural foods."
 
Parnello: "Other than moving to the other side of the world … I think the language and understanding the culture was an adjustment. One of the Kazakh girls spoke English so she helped us a lot with any questions we had and she would take us to traditional restaurants and stores. Overall, though, the experience has been incredible. The blend of old traditions and modern influences, coupled with the kindness of the people, even though we would get lots of people staring or asking for pictures, the move there was much easier than I expected."
 
*What was the language barrier like?
Schmelzer: "The coaches and majority of the team knew basic/very good English, so understanding the coaches philosophy and instructions were no problem. In regard to the city, I went out every day, and maybe came across five people that spoke English. Google Translate was used often and definitely came in handy!"
 
Broecker: "Very few of our Kazakh teammates spoke English. Our head coach had lived in the US, and spoke English, which was very helpful in practice and games. We also had many other international teammates from different countries, so many different languages were being spoken around us. We had teammates from Brazil, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. I think the language barrier is something that, though challenging at times, is part of the experience of playing overseas and connecting with people from all over the world. Outside of trying to pick up a little Russian, which was mostly spoken by our teammates (though Kazakh is mostly spoken in Shymkent), I also learned words or phrases from my other teammates, in Portuguese, French, or Twi (dialect spoken in Ghana). It was definitely a source of connection with teammates to teach each other bits of our languages."
 
Parnello: "Google Translate was definitely one of my most used apps over there. We had a decent amount of foreigners, including us Americans who knew English, so that helped with the transition. Only one of the Kazakh girls knew English and a couple could speak a little, so communication was a challenge on and off the field. On the field, I am so used to talking and directing, so when we started practicing and there wasn't any communication between us and the local girls it was hard. Slowly we got better and found ways we could communicate with each other. I picked up a couple of Russian words and phrases but didn't speak fluently."
 
*What was your reaction to finding out the three of you would be playing together on the same team?
Schmelzer: "Playing overseas comes with many unknowns, from football to living, to logistics, to the people you are surrounded by and more. It was much more comforting accepting to go to Kazakhstan knowing Brooke and Clara were going as well. Besides our commonality of UWM soccer, I really didn't know much about them and I was excited to learn more about them and experience this journey with them! Since they are also both great players, I was eager to be able to play with them as well!"
 
Broecker: "It was super exciting! At first I only knew that Mck (Schmelzer) was going as well, which I was excited about as though I had never played with her, I had heard about her through upperclassmen when I was a freshman at UWM. And then Brooke decided to come, which was super-exciting as well. I had played with her for four years with the Panthers, and I was excited to have that experience with her, both on and off the field. Especially as it was my first experience playing overseas, it was really helpful to be with people that I was familiar with and had so much in common with."
 
Parnello: "For me, finding out McKaela, Clara and I were going to play together definitely helped with my decision on going over there. I knew playing overseas was what I wanted to do, but I think knowing that they would be there helped the process – especially with it being my first contract. McKaela was a huge help when it came to any questions or concerns about professional soccer and just advice when we were in Kazakhstan."
 
*What were you able to do with your time outside of the team?
Schmelzer: "I spent a good amount of time training on my own, weightlifting and running. My mode of transportation was walking, so that took me to many different parts of the city, from parks to coffee shops to craft stores. I did have a part-time job, so I spent a few hours a day with that, and I also read, studied another language, and listened to many podcasts!"
 
Broecker: "Another big adjustment was the amount of free time that we had outside of soccer. As a college athlete I was so used to a fast-paced lifestyle where I was always busy with soccer and school. But there, we had a lot of time to fill in our own. While we were in Shymkent, that usually consisted of trying different coffee shops, restaurants, and spending time with our teammates. The unique part of being on a Champions League team was that we traveled internationally several times. We went to Lithuania, Germany, Luxembourg, and though we were only in Istanbul for a night, we were able to take a tour and experience the city. It was an amazing experience to be able to see so many different places, especially as I had not been to Europe prior."
 
Parnello: "We didn't have a car so we pretty much walked everywhere or they had their own Uber app, so we used that a lot. Everything over there was very cheap compared to America, which was nice. Most days we would go to a coffee shop and read. We would try different restaurants and shop a lot too."
 
*What are your favorite memories from the season?
Schmelzer: "Moments spent building relationships with my teammates on and off the field, and also being able to travel to a few countries in Europe (Germany, Luxembourg, Turkey). One of my favorite experiences was when a few of us traveled to a National Park for a day hike."
 
Broecker: "I think one of my favorite memories from the season was visiting Luxembourg, which I absolutely loved. Some of my family was able to come watch our Champions League games, so, much different than coming to Engelmann to see me play. I also think overall the people are what made the experience memorable for me. We met some amazing people from different parts of the world, and it is amazing to think that going forward, I have friends in so many different places."
 
Parnello: "For me, it was all the memories I made with my teammates on and off the field. I got to meet people from all over the world and I'm lucky to call them my friends now. Also, going to Luxembourg and playing in the Champions League was an incredible experience. The atmosphere was something I had never seen before and experienced. So many fans and the passion they had was unforgettable."
 
*What is the plan for what is next?
Schmelzer: "I am going to continue playing in Sydney, Australia, for a team in the NPL (National Premier League)."
 
Broecker: "I still would like to play, just looking for an opportunity that's right for me!"
 
Parnello: "Right now, my main goal is to find a new team to continue playing. Ideally, I would love to have the opportunity to play in Europe, as the level of competition is incredibly high, and it would be an amazing experience both on and off the field. I still love the game so I want to play for as long as I can while also experiencing new things!"