American soccer player (born 1991)
Meleana Lokahi "Mana" Shim (born September 25, 1991) is an American women's soccer player and athlete advocate. Shim plays as a midfielder, and previously spent most of her senior career with Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). After the revelations of the Yates Report, Shim was named chairperson of a new Participant Safety Taskforce at U.S. Soccer.
Early life.
Shim grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she attended Kamehameha Kapalama High School and helped the soccer team to three ILH championships. In 2007, the team won the state championship.
Shim also played for the club soccer team, Ho'okalakupua. In 2003 and 2005, the team was Region IV Finalists. In 2004, 2006, and 2007, the team was Region IV semi-finalists. In 2008, they won gold at the Surf Cup U19 Championship.
Santa Clara Broncos.
Shim attended Santa Clara University from 2009 to 2012 where she was a three-year starting midfielder for the Broncos. As a freshman in 2009, she played in 20 of the squad's 23 matches. She finished the year with 21 shots, including seven during the Broncos' three NCAA Tournament matches. During her second year, Shim played in all 22 games, one of only four Broncos to do so, starting 18 matches for a total of 1,660 minutes played. She scored one goal and added three assists and was named an All-West Coast Conference honorable mention. As a junior in 2011, she started all 21 games and tallied four goals and four assists. She was named to the All-WCC Second-Team.
Playing career.
Portland Thorns.
Shim signed with the Portland Thorns as a discovery player for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League. She made her debut for the team during a match against the Washington Spirit on May 4, 2013. She scored her first professional goal on June 16, 2013, at Jeld-Wen Field in a match against Seattle Reign FC. After receiving a through ball from teammate Angie Kerr near the penalty spot, Shim finished with a left-footed shot past the goalkeeper. She also served her first assist during the match after stealing the ball off a bad pass and passing it to forward Danielle Foxhoven, who was making a run into the left side of the penalty box. She was the Thorns' lone scorer in a 1–1 draw with the Western New York Flash on July 14, 2013, which began a scoring streak in which she scored a goal in four consecutive matches. In 2015, Shim went on loan to Japanese football team Iga Kunoichi FC but did not appear in a domestic match.
On January 10, 2014, it was announced that Shim was drafted by the Houston Dash with the fourth pick in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft. She was traded back to the Thorns one week later during the 2014 NWSL College Draft.
Växjö DFF.
In 2017, Shim signed with Swedish side Växjö DFF of the Elitettan. She appeared in two matches as Växjö earned promotion to the 2018 Damallsvenskan.
Houston Dash.
Shim returned to the NWSL in 2018, signing with the Dash.
NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Shim signed a short-term injury replacement contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC on June 25, 2023. One of her teammates was fellow 2021 NWSL abuse scandal whistleblower Sinead Farrelly. On August 9, 2023, Shim scored her first NWSL goal since 2015 in the 91st minute off an assist from Midge Purce.
Activism and post-playing career.
In 2021 Shim publicly accused her former manager Paul Riley of sexual misconduct and abuse to "The Athletic" in a story that resulted in Riley being fired from his then-current position with the North Carolina Courage, and the NWSL to seek further investigations. Her anti-harassment advocacy led to her being named one of the 2022 "Law Students of the Year" by "National Jurist". Shim graduated from the University of Hawai'i's William S. Richardson School of Law in 2022.
On October 31, 2022, following the revelations of the Yates Report, Shim announced she was joining U.S. Soccer as the chair of a new Participant Safety Taskforce.
Mana also spent a season as assistant coach at San Jose State University during the 2022-2023 season, during which the Spartans won the Mountain West Championship game.
Personal life.
Shim self-identifies as Kanaka Maoli.
Shim publicly came out as a lesbian on August 30, 2013, in an interview with "Outsports", the day before the Portland Thorns FC entered the National Women's Soccer League Championship.
In 2017, as part of an effort to lower the stigma of mental health issues among athletes, Shim revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Honors.
NJ/NY Gotham FC
Portland Thorns FC
References.
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