Arseblog Exclusive Interview with Kaylan Marckese

When Australian goalkeeper Lydia Williams left Arsenal during the summer, the Gunners knew they needed to acquire a replacement. The signing of Florida born Kaylan Marckese (pronounced ‘Mar-keeze’) was not one many people were expecting. Marckese played against the Gunners for Danish side Koge in the group stages of the Champions League, where she made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the competition.

Marckese has enjoyed an unconventional career journey from this point, moving from Florida and then New Jersey to Iceland and Denmark. Kaylan tells me that the situation for her at Sky Blue FC in New Jersey (now named Gotham FC) was less than favourable and inspired her to try her hand in Europe. “I was the third goalkeeper at Sky Blue. The club has grown a lot since I left but there were issues at the club and in the NWSL in general,” she explains.

“There was a lot of rebuild, our coach left and so did our assistant and I thought, ‘you know what? I really want to play in Europe.’ That was my goal initially out of Florida University and Sky Blue came up as an unexpected opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. But at the time I needed to get playing time and I needed to be in a different environment, for my own mental health as well.”

The 24-year-old said that she nearly pitched up in London a little earlier. “I tried to come to England actually, London City Lionesses wanted me and I tried to sign for them but couldn’t get my visa. Iceland popped up as an option and I could get some games and perhaps be a stepping-stone to something else.” Just as things started to move for Marckese in Iceland, the pandemic struck.

“At least Iceland was very safe in covid terms. I didn’t even have to wear a mask until November 2020 because cases stayed low.” Kaylan admits that Iceland and Denmark were not the first destinations she envisaged when she decided that she wanted to play in Europe but she speaks about her experiences in both countries with great warmth- she admits that going to countries where English is spoken so widely made the transition easier for her.

“I did a lot of research on Iceland and Denmark before I went. I talked with my agent and spoke to people who’d moved there and the impression I got was that the transition is easier in Scandinavia and Iceland as an English speaker. It made things easier than, say, if I had gone to a smaller club in Spain or France and been in a small town with none of the language.

“They’re not just career moves, they’re life moves so you have to figure out whether this is somewhere that you want to live. I love nature, I love hiking and when I researched Iceland I saw the nature there and thought, ‘yeah I can live there, no question.’ When I researched Denmark and Danish culture, I thought, ‘I can live there. Maybe not for an extended period but I can definitely spend time there.”

Welcome to the Arsenal @Kaylan_Marckese! pic.twitter.com/66FutZcJsA

— AWFCLIPS (@awfclips) July 25, 2022

Marckese joined ambitious Copenhagen based club HB Koge, who entered into a partnership with Capelli Sport and the American Football Academy Slammers FC. They had a vision to reach the UWCL in five seasons but did it far sooner. “The club was so enticing, the pitch they made for what they are doing for women’s football and the money they are putting in, they wanted to get to the Champions League. We got there sooner than they planned because it worked so well,” Marckese explains.

“There were five other Americans in the squad and they told me they wanted me to bring that culture and mentality as an ex-college player in the States. I lived in a house with the five other Americans and two younger Danish players and we had a big family vibe, we were always having dinners together. The club had so many good people, the kit manager was like the mom of the team. It was a very welcoming environment and the city was very supportive. I found Danish culture difficult to crack at first but once you do, it’s very inviting and welcoming.”

So much so that Kaylan returned there earlier this month during a rare weekend off, to see some old friends. “Last minute, we had a weekend off. It didn’t take much convincing for me to go back and see people, have a nice dinner again, watch a game. It made me realise that it feels comfortable, that it feels like home.” Kaylan is frank about the fact that her ambition was always to reach a bigger European stage.

“Look, the clubs I went to in Iceland and Denmark weren’t the biggest clubs in Europe, it wasn’t Bayern or Arsenal but they both had something I could really believe in and get behind. I knew I could get better and grow and get to the sort of club I was really aiming for.” Koge qualifying for the Champions League gave her an opportunity to test herself against the level to which she aspired.

“It was a great opportunity for the whole team to step up and see what that stage was like. The first UWCL game we played against Hoffenheim, they were on fire and we were on our heels a bit. The pace took us by surprise. It was an opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world and to prove to myself and others that I could do that.” However, she insists that she didn’t see the experience as a fast-track to a bigger European club, even if that is how it transpired in the end.

“I didn’t put too much pressure on myself. There were some great games for us but it didn’t have to be anything it wasn’t. I wasn’t thinking ‘this is my shot to go to Arsenal.’ It wasn’t a ton of pressure it was just a privilege to share the field with those players, it was a level I had never experienced before. It was very special.” Arsenal won both of their games against Koge handily and Kaylan didn’t expect that to be the start of a relationship.

“After the game Jonas came and told me I had a good game, I brushed it off because I just got scored on four times! The contact [from Arsenal] started in the late spring. The Danish league doesn’t play in February or March, so I think it was after a few games in April when my agent told me there was interest from Arsenal. That piqued my interest straight away. ‘Arsenal’ and ‘interest’ in the same sentence felt crazy.’

HB Køge director says the transfer fee they receive over the sale of goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese is the largest in the history of HB Køge Women.

🗣️ "It shows that we've done things right. We've scouted properly and our coaching staff has developed the right things in her game." pic.twitter.com/fRB9UJNQHt

— miedemastuff (@miedemastuff) July 27, 2022

‘I called my dad straight away but I kinda said, ‘interest’ can mean anything. But my dad just told me that ‘even if it doesn’t come to anything, the fact that Arsenal are interested is a big deal. You’re on your way.’ But when the contract offer came over it was a very easy ‘yes’ for me.” Marckese has yet to make her Arsenal bow and, initially at least, will be understudy to Austrian international Manu Zinsberger. She says that Arsenal’s pitch impressed her, even if she needed little convincing to join.

“There wasn’t too much specific about my role, Arsenal just told me their situation and to come in to do my own thing, to be my own goalkeeper and make my own impact and we will support you. They didn’t put too many expectations on me or say ‘this is the exact way we see it going’, they just told me they were here to support me and get me used to the environment.”

In the men’s Premier League, there is a solid tradition of American goalkeepers, including Arsenal men whose back-up goalkeeper is the American Matt Turner. Marckese puts this tradition of US goalkeepers in England down to their culture of multi-disciplinary athletes. That was certainly the case for Kaylan. “I played loads of sports when I was younger, I tried ballet and gymnastics, I come from a swimming family so I did a lot of that.

“My sister tried soccer when she was young and didn’t take to it but two of my older cousins played and I wanted to be like them, so I convinced my parents to let me try when I was about eight.” She explains that the transition into being a goalie took a little while, however. “I was a forward, then a centre-back, then a central midfielder. When I was about 12 I was at a bigger club as a midfielder and they had a goalkeeper who didn’t really like it so she didn’t always turn up. I went in goal once because I thought it was fun. At first I was scared of people shooting balls at my face, which is a normal instinct!

“But I did well, at that time I was playing basketball and volleyball and my hand-eye coordination was good. I was playing softball and throwing the American football with my dad in the yard. It didn’t take long until I realised, ‘this is me, I like this.’ I like throwing myself around on the ground and I realised I was better in goal than in midfield anyway.”

Kaylan Marckese | First day at The Arsenal ❤️

Featuring a very special tour guide… @PhysioGaryLewin 👋

— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) July 26, 2022

Marckese believes there is much to be said for athletes being exposed to different sporting disciplines in their nascent years. “Mentally and physically I think there is a lot of benefit in cross-sport training. In Europe it’s different, players get into academies early and just focus on football. I can see why that works but I had a lot of coaches and parents who supported me to play a lot of sports.

“I didn’t definitely choose to pursue soccer until I was 15. I had to pick for college because volleyball and soccer clashed so I chose soccer. I am a big advocate for multi-sports system, even if I love the academy system.” Marckese is the third American to play for Arsenal Women, the names that preceded her, Heather O’Reilly and Tobin Heath, are some of the biggest sporting names in the US and their impact is not lost on Kaylan.

“Honestly, having my name in the same sentence as them is really cool. I hope one day they will come and visit because everyone around the club still speaks so highly of them. There is still a picture of Tobin up next to the coffee machine here because she was such a big coffee drinker; so I grab a drink next to that every day!”

With thanks to @miedemastuff for the article graphic.