Small but mighty, and now a starter: on Kiki Pickett ‘integral’ leadership for KC NWSL

When KC NWSL unveiled the starting 11 for Friday night’s home game against the NC Courage, it was Pickett Squared time. And that lineup featuring both Victoria Pickett and Kiki Pickett was a long time coming.

While midfielder Victoria Pickettt has been a starter all season, Kiki Pickett — no relation — made her first start Friday at outside back. Poised on the ball, smart with her tackles, joining the attack at the right times — she was exactly the energy that the back line needed.

In short, Kiki Pickett was a dynamic player on and off the ball, making it extremely difficult for the Courage to get past her one on one.

One moment stands out in the first full 90 for the rookie: She confidently executed a beautiful slide tackle, popped right up off the ground, and then immediately launched a counterattack. It was the perfect example of the game she plays, the effort she puts into every play.

The Kansas City coaching staff has slowly been increasing Pickett’s minutes over the last month, sending her in at 80 minutes against the Washington Spirit and 71 minutes Gotham FC. In KC’s 2-0 loss to the OL Reign on July 11, Pickett went in at halftime, bringing energy and composure with her.

KC coach Huw Williams said after Friday’s game that Pickett played like the player the organization had hoped she’d be when drafting her fourth overall in January after a trade with then-Sky Blue FC for a first-round pick. She would have found her way to the starting lineup much sooner if she hadn’t come off her senior season at Stanford with an injury. Friday’s 0-0 draw against the Courage was the first game in which she’d been available for the full 90.

“Kiki was unbelievable,” Williams said. “How tall is Kiki? Five-foot-two? She’s winning headers. There’s an energy, she’s an athlete and as a soccer player, very technical. Kiki is going places in this league.”

She’s actually 5-feet even, but that’s never stopped her. Height doesn’t limit her ability.

Pickett was happy with her full-game debut but shared an unexpected self-critique: “I think I was a little slower than I expected today, and that might be a surprise to some people,” she said after Friday’s game, laughing.

If Pickett was slow on Friday, God help the next forwards who face her.

The defender from Santa Barbara, Calif., has a list of collegiate highlights list that spans nearly a whole page, including two NCAA championships, three Pac-12 championships, Pac-12 defender of the year, two appearances on the All-Pac-12 first team and a spot on the U-23 U.S. National Team in 2019.

She started in 79 of her 81 games at Stanford, recording five career goals and 16 assists. And she showed Friday night that she’s going to be a valuable addition to the attack.

“Hopefully (I can) create an assist, but ultimately, we need to score goals,” she said. “So if I’m the one to do it, let’s see if I can.”

Pickett provides another priceless quality. Even in her first months as a pro, she’s already a team leader. It didn’t matter that she came in injured, that she was a rookie or that she was joining a team with veterans like Amy Rodriguez or fellow Stanford products Nicole Barnhart and Lo’eau LaBonta. Being a leader is just part of who she is as a player.

“For a rookie to come in injured and still have the leadership qualities that she showed is unbelievable,” Williams said. “One of the reasons why we drafted her is so high is that Kiki Pickett is going to be an integral part of this team for a long time to come.

“The leadership qualities that she brings to that locker room, to the fields, to the practices, is exactly what this team needs.”

Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said Pickett led by example throughout her collegiate career. She was always the hardest worker at training and in games. She was “tremendous” that way, Ratcliffe said.

“She’s a phenomenal teammate,” Ratcliffe said. “I think that’s the x-factor for Kiki, is that she’s inspirational to everyone around her because she works so hard at everything she does. In the classroom, on the field, with her relationships .... she just really cares about others and wants to be the best version of herself.”

Because of the injury she brought with her to KC, she used her voice to motivate those around her. No longer able to rely on work ethic alone to push her new teammates, she became more vocal — even if doing so took her out of her comfort zone.

“I just don’t want to be a one-way leader,” Pickett said. “I want to be true overall leader with my voice and with my actions, and hopefully someone that the coaches and players trust.”

Pickett knew that with her shorter stature, she was going to have to work even harder to prove she belonged at the highest level. She was overlooked from a young age, with many coaches favoring defenders with more size.

“I knew I had to work at least twice as hard, just to be seen,” she said. “I know there’s a lot of doubts in every scenario that I’m in. And it’s kind of expected at this point, and it kind of it kind of fuels my fire. But with that, I always keep pushing myself. So when I’m saying, ‘I’m done being overlooked,’ I’m going to show you why.”

Pickett is mature in her mentality. The doubts have made her better. She’s settled into the player and person she has become — someone she didn’t realize she could be.

“I think the really fantastic thing about Kiki is, I don’t know if she knows how good she is,” Ratcliffe said. “We’re telling her she’s one of the best outside backs in the entire country and has the potential to play at the highest level, but I don’t know if she truly felt that way.

“She was always trying to prove herself and because of that chip on her shoulder, that drive to prove herself, and she’s gotten to the point where she is one of the best outside backs.”

Through her transition to professional soccer, without classes and a packed school schedule, she’s found more time for self-reflection and rediscovering who she is away from the pitch.

“Whether that is like dancing, singing, reading … just like the little things that I didn’t know were a part of my identity, are a huge part of my identity and had to be rediscovered,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been learning about … who am I as a person, not just a player, that people are interested in?

“I think that’s huge coming from, yes, a world where I just thought soccer was enough. And now I’m realizing without classes, I have more time to think about what I love outside the sport.”

And from all indications, Kansas City will have two Picketts in the starting lineup for some time to come.