Jasmine Paterson could end up becoming a better soccer player from her recliner than from the field.

Paterson is laid up these days with a back injury that’s kept her from the pitch for the last two months and she’s hating every minute of it.

But in a weird way, her confinement has been liberating. For a player who so often relies on her exceptional instincts, taking a step back from the game has amounted to a step forward.

“I have been able to watch the games and I’ve picked up on a lot of little things that coaches would tell me but I could never see before,” Paterson said. “Things like pulling away and spinning around the defense – I can see all those things from watching.”

Having said that, Paterson and club soccer are better when she’s on the field. A Florida Region III star, Paterson switched to Renegades Soccer Club from Kendall Soccer Coalition (which doesn’t have a U17 squad) this year but has yet to start building in-game chemistry with her new teammates.

Paterson had been bothered by a sore back for some time and her physician prescribed some good ol’ fashion rest, so she is sidelined without an immediate timetable.

During the meantime Paterson (#11 - 2012 Girls Top 100 Players To Watch) has hardly stood by and watched idly. She attends all of her U17 team’s games and is among their most ardent supporters on match days.

“Her joining our club was a plus for our program,” said U17 Renegades Soccer Club coach Rohan Shakes, who has watched Paterson perform for years. “She’s a leader but she’s also very coachable. She’s very calm with the ball in one respect, but she is a great finisher.”

At 5-foot-8 she has good striker size but possesses the technical ability of a nimble midfielder – her first touch and ball control are strong points.

Paterson has made a splash on the U.S. U15 National Team where she performed well alongside Ashley Spivey, Lauren Bernard, Morgan Andrews, Reilly Parker and Laura Liedle and made the team that competed against Costa Rica.  

“Playing against international competition was great,” Paterson said. “My biggest goal is to play for our (senior) national team. My skill level has gone up so much from my time with the national team; you don’t leave that camp without learning and becoming a better player.”

As Paterson is displaying, there are multiple ways for a great player to become even better. Though she’d prefer to be learning on the job, at the moment she’ll have to settle for a job shadow.

“It’s very difficult, sometimes,” Paterson said. “I enjoy going out to watch and support my team but it’s still tough. It’ll be nice to get back and play again.”