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The USL scored arguably the upstart league’s biggest victory to date with the announcement that Texas Longhorns All-American Lexi Missimo has signed with the Dallas Trinity FC.

The No. 1 recruit out of high school, Missimo passed on opportunities from England’s Manchester United and Arsenal WFC to turn pro immediately, according to the Dallas Morning News. She went on to become an All-American midfielder for the Longhorns, finishing her career as the program’s all-time leader in points (176), assists (64) and goals (56).

The 64 assists also ranks 10th in NCAA Division I history, and Missimo was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference in 2024. She was the only player in the conference to be credited with at least 10 goals and 10 assists during the season.

Missimo, who turned 22 on Thursday, was listed among the top 10 college players to watch by the NWSL just last month. However, she eschewed the more established league in favor of the USL Super League, which started its inaugural season in August.

The USL season runs from fall to summer, with a break from December to February. The league does not have a salary cap and does not conduct a draft. The NWSL also ceased conducting drafts as part of the new collective bargaining agreement in August.

Missimo is from Southlake, Texas, near Dallas, while the NWSL’s closest franchise to her hometown is the Houston Dash. The Trinity made the announcement of the two-and-a-half-year contract signing on Wednesday, although financial terms were not disclosed.

“I didn’t compare the two leagues, the NWSL and USL,” Missimo told Front Office Sports. “I just considered what would be best for my development as a player on and off the field. And I think just living in Dallas, which is 30 minutes away from my hometown, it’s just a perfect fit for me and my family. And everything about it just was better in my opinion.”

Missimo told FOS that she played with several of the current Trinity players while growing up, and said she has known Dallas general manager Chris Petrucelli since she was about 10 years old.

Dallas is currently second in the eight-team USL standings with a 6-3-5 record, and Missimo said she went through her first training with the team on Sunday.

“The USL, obviously, a new league coming in, it’s going to continue to grow and be a positive thing, and I’m glad that I can have a mark in that,” she told FOS. “But definitely for me personally, I would just say Dallas was just the perfect fit. And it didn’t matter what league it was.”

–Field Level Media