It’s a bizarre and puzzling reality check when a person lives out a real-life example of the simple fact that things never seem to pan out the way we imagine, regardless of how greatly calculated our steps might be. Even when things seem faultlessly laid out, never underestimate our sneaky little friend, Mr. Roadblock. That dirty little whore has a wonderful skill of popping up and beating you down with a vigor most excruciating in times most unexpected. I’m not sure if its purpose is in leu of testing our commitment to something, in effort to strengthen our internal base through trial or to expand our sense of self by forcing us to look within during moments of detriment. All the same, those bumps in the road - or, at times, mountains - can masquerade as countless, unexpected troubles and the road to get passed them can be pretty steep. I would know. I’m standing on one as we speak.

Every team is a bit like a puzzle and every coach has a final picture in his or her mind. They must decide which pieces are needed and how each one of those pieces will most effectively be put together to create that final championship picture. That puzzle can vary greatly from coach to coach. Let’s simply say, for Atlanta Beat Head Coach Gareth O’Sullivan, I was not a piece to his collaborative puzzle. So, simply put, I was released from Atlanta.

Well, I said I would provide insider prospective on all things WPS. With that, we add yet another angle:

In my time of just over a year within the WPS, I’ve seen absolutely everything. I’ve been a part of a team beaten down time and time again with limitless obstacles varying in nature, mind-blowing in intensity and quite creative at the root. I was also there and took part in seeing that same team rise up and win a championship despite it all. I’ve been a part of a new team and its efforts, one year later, to start from square one to try its hand at winning a championship. I’ve seen betrayal and heartlessness, but also inconceivable acts of self-sacrifice and grace. I’ve seen integrity kicked to the curb, but also fell witness to what can happen when people come together to fight for its existence. I’ve seen people rise up and beat all odds. I’ve seen good people treated poorly and bad people given the world. I, myself, have been tested, burned, given a chance and had it all taken away. I’ve felt as though the entire world was at my fingertips and felt like someone sucked out my every ounce of strength, spark and purpose.

As for the topic at hand, I’ve seen grossly talented players traded and released. I’m not saying I’m one of them, but some of those players I knew and still believe with 100 percent certainty that they belong in the league. It all goes back to the puzzle. Even so, it’s a strange thing to see player transactions happen. Now I know what it feels like. This is another very real and not so heart-warming aspect of a professional league. Job security is not something players boast. You can never be complacent. You can never settle back. Someone else is always after your spot and someone is always evaluating your performance. The bottom line - sometimes it doesn’t go in your favor.

So, where’s that leave me? At this point, an effort to make an impression on some other coach by starting from the bottom as a practice player for another team is about the only chance. It may be true that I’ve never wanted and chased after anything so hard in my life, however, at age 28 with nothing to show for myself, it seems the WPS door may be closing.

With that, once again, keeping it all in prospective seems to be my go-to phrase right now. I’ve always come from the mindset that difficulty is a test. The more anguished and weighty, the more large-scale the impending progress. Certainly, I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t completely nauseous at the thought that, after all I’ve given up in pursuit of playing in the WPS, I’m left with nothing but an empty piggy bank. Yet, I still know I have a purpose and, perhaps, this experience will open a different kind of door. I just have no idea what that might be.

I’m sure I haven’t seen the last of Mr. Roadblock. Whether he sets out to test me, to strengthen me or to force me to put a check on myself, I know the potential personal gain when you face him bearing the right attitude. And, well, the truth is, I’ll climb any mountain if it means finding the puzzle where I fit just right.