Mallory Pugh is going to bypass college for a professional contract with the U.S. Women’s National Team, according to a report from soccerwire.com on Friday. The report indicates that the Federation has set its sights on propelling Pugh into the professional realm via the NWSL and including her full-time with the U.S. Women’s National Team. 

Pugh, currently in camp with the U.S. Women’s National Team in Southern California, is a senior in high school and age-eligible for the 2016 U20 World Cup. She turns 18 on April 29, which makes her age-eligible for the 2018 U20 World Cup as well. 

Pugh was recently awarded the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the 2015 U20 CONCACAF Championship, as she led the U.S. to the title at the event. 

She verbally committed to UCLA a couple of years ago and was a cornerstone of one of the best recruiting classes in the history of college soccer. However, reports now indicate that Pugh will skip the college route and jump immediately into the NWSL. The Portland Thorns traded for the top spot in the allocation ranking on Friday in order to pick up Pugh, who is the best talent in the U.S. Soccer youth system. 

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