Bond-Flasza moves closer to Polish roots

National senior women's defender Dominique Bond-Flasza says that her move to Polish club KKPK Medyk Konin was not just an opportunity to test her skills in other leagues but also a chance of reconnecting with the Polish side of heritage.

The 23-year-old fullback is adjusting to her new surroundings as she has already contributed to the club's good start to the season. Medyk Konin are currently in third place in the Ekstraliga with seven points. Having spent the previous two years with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, she was ready for a new challenge. Flasza has Polish citizenship through her father and said the opportunity to be close to that side of her family made the offer from Medyk Konin an attractive one.

"Having Polish citizenship definitely made the move to Medky Konin very appealing," Flasza told STAR Sports. "I have visited my family here in Poland in the past but have never spent an extensive amount of time in Poland or gotten the chance to learn the language. So for me it was an opportunity to play soccer, learn the language and be near family I rarely get to visit."

Although still navigating the language barrier, Flasza says that she is adapting at a faster pace than expected

"The biggest adjustment has been the language barrier, however, it is something that I am overcoming rather quicker than I thought I would," she said. "I am beginning to understand much more than when I originally arrived to the team."

Her previous campaign

Like the majority of the players, Flasza saw her previous campaign end prematurely because of the coronavirus pandemic. She said that as a result, she returned to the United States to maintain her fitness in preparation for her impending move.

"COVID 19 caused my 2019/2020 season to be cancelled so I returned home to Southern California in March. During this time I tried to stay in the best shape I could considering the circumstances so that I would be ready once I found a new club," she said.

She has played in all three league matches played so far including Saturday's 3-0 win over Olympia Szczecin and has aspirations of helping her club win the league and cup double.

Medky Konin's next game is against 10th-place Rolnik Biedrzychowice on Sunday.