It was a very easy decision for Chloe Sadler, but one she still had mixed feelings about.
When the Green Canyon junior got the call from the U.S. National Team to represent her country at the Under-17 World Cup in Morocco last month, of course her answer was yes. Representing the U.S. in a World Cup had been her dream ever since she’d become a national team pool player about four years earlier.
It came with a sacrifice, though. The World Cup overlapped with the high school state tournament. Joining her U.S. teammates meant she had to leave her Green Canyon teammates for the state playoffs.
Green Canyon was one of the tournament favorites, and for the ultra-competitive Sadler the thought of not being with them during the October playoffs was heart breaking. She’d scored 29 goals and recorded 19 assists, leading the Wolves to the No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs.
Here’s how Sadler summed up her internal dialogue about the call up.
“It was definitely mixed feelings. I was so excited to make the roster because it was my whole goal this year with the U-17 cycle. But for high school, we were at such a good stride, we were playing really good, not just individually, but as a team. So it kind of it sucked, because I feel like I was performing well, and I feel like we could have had a good run in state. But then I was like, this is what I’ve been working for, but then I don’t want to leave this team because it’s my best friends. It’s like, this sucks, but I need to go do this.”
Without her though, Green Canyon bowed out in the 4A quarterfinals.
And though Sadler was an ocean away as the high school season came to a close, there’s little doubt who the best high school player in Utah was this fall.
Sadler’s the complete package of elite skill, intelligence, unselfishness and competitiveness, and she’s the 2025 Deseret News Ms. Soccer recipient, the 19th in the history of the award.
Sadler is currently verbally committed to BYU, and has already turned down a pro contract offer from the Utah Royals. After the World Cup in Africa, her dad, Kirt — who is also the Green Canyon head coach — said several Spanish clubs approached him about expressing their interest in having his daughter move overseas and join their academies.
And while playing overseas at a big club is Chloe Sadler’s ultimate dream, she said she’s not in a huge rush to grow up yet. It’s why for now she can’t wait to be back for her senior season at Green Canyon next year.
“I feel like we’ll be really good next year, because we’re not losing anybody. I love playing high school, and because I’m in such a high stressful environment, sometimes I think high school is a good way to kind of decompress. But it’s also important because I want to win another state title,” said Sadler, who helped Green Canyon win the title her freshman season.
The title came two years ago, but even back then Sadler was very much in the national team pool.
That’s what made putting on the U.S. jersey in the World Cup such an incredible experience.
“I think just representing my country on the world stage was something I’m forever grateful for,” said Sadler, who played in all four games as the U.S. bowed out of the tournament in the Round of 16 in penalties to the Netherlands.
In the United States’ 5-2 win over China in group play, Sadler played the full 90 minutes and had a 96% pass completion rating, tops on the team.
The U.S. coaches had Sadler play deeper in the midfield than she’s accustomed. With it came more defensive responsibility, but it was something she felt she adapted to quickly.
“We kind of played a double pivot and then I rolled into an eight. So I was kind of playing the attacking but I was more focusing on the six role,” Sadler said.
Attacking mid is the position she’s been playing most her life, and it’s where her finishing ability and playmaking thrive. But the World Cup showed scouts around the globe her flexibility in the midfield as well.
A Young Prodigy
When Kirt Sadler first saw his daughter play through balls to teammates at age 6, he sensed his daughter saw the game a bit differently.
“That’s just not normal,” he said.
Soccer wasn’t her only love, either. Sadler was a great gymnast at a young age, she tore up flag football with her speed and athleticism and she was a really good basketball player.
Sadler even played on Green Canyon’s varsity basketball team her freshman season, and her quickness on the full-court press was a nightmare for opposing teams.
Her dad even recalls his daughter catching the eyes of college scouts after her defensive performance in a spring game at Alta High School. He politely said, “she’s a soccer kid.”
By that point, her sights were set on the national team, and they still very much are. She dreams of playing with the full national team someday along with playing overseas.
Each step of the way so far, her dreams have been coming true. At a young age, Sadler remembers watching Messi play games on TV when he was with Barcelona and her mind wandered to having that same experience in her playing career.
She knew hard work was the only way to get there, and she’s rarely slowed down in four years.
“Once I started thinking it could be a reality, I started working even harder because I wanted it to become a reality. I wanted that dream to come true. ... I mean, making the World Cup roster was a dream, and it came true. So I’ll never know what’s in store for me, so it’s just about keep working hard,” Sadler said.
According to her dad, she’s always trying to get extra training sessions in whenever she can with her club teams or individual work with her coach, Willie Flores.
“If she has to train six days a week, she’ll train six days to be the best. She’ll put the extra work in. Now, she does like hanging out with friends, but her number-one goal is, ‘I want to get better,’” said Kirt Sadler.
When game time rolls around, he said Chloe’s competitiveness takes over and it’s all about doing whatever needs to be done to win. It always has been.
“The game, it slows down for her but it’s fast for everyone else. She sees things that most people don’t see, even at a little age,” said Kirt Sadler. “She’s always looking for the next best option. If she’s not the best option, she finds the best option. When she’s playing the game, she sees these little windows here and there of where to play the ball, and she puts everything on a dime.”
For Green Canyon this season, that meant a share of the Region 11 championship and thoughts of what could’ve been. And for Coach Sadler, he’s proud that despite his daughter’s crazy trajectory in the soccer world, she hasn’t lost sight of what matters on the field.
“The thing I love most about her is she could be the most arrogant person there is, but she’s not. She’s humble. She could go out in all our games and just forget about everyone else and just carry it, shoot it, but no, she wants to win games and she wants the team to be the best.”
Past Deseret News Ms. Soccer winners
- 2025 — Chloe Sadler, Green Canyon
- 2024 — Hope Munson, Olympus
- 2023 — Bella Devey, Lone Peak
- 2022 — Nevaeh Peregrina, Ogden
- 2021 — Lily Boyden, Skyline
- 2020 — Grace Nicol, Davis
- 2019 — Haven Empey, Am. Fork
- 2018 — Caroline Stringfellow, Syracuse
- 2017 — Jamie Shepherd, Am. Fork
- 2016 — Mikayla Colohan, Davis
- 2015 — Haylee Cacciacarne, Davis
- 2014 — Cassidy Smith, Lone Peak
- 2013 — Bizzy Phillips, Alta
- 2012 — Avery Calton, Ogden
- 2011 — Michele Murphy, Alta
- 2010 — Jaiden Thornock, Bonneville
- 2009 — Kealia Ohai, Alta
- 2008 — Kealia Ohai, Alta
- 2007 — McKinzie Olson, Brighton