Jillian Dorghoud balances motherhood and futsal career | Headlines

Jillian Dorghoud needed an out plan and needed one fast.

The next day, she was scheduled to compete in a track meet for Rippon Middle School in Woodbridge. She had run these kinds of races before, and this one was low-key. But she remained concerned. What if she didn’t run as well this time as she did before?

So, on the bus ride home, she looked out the window and began devising ways to skip the meet. She could twist her ankle on purpose. That would solve everything.

But before making any drastic decisions, Dorghoud took one crucial step. She sought her mother’s counsel. A natural nurturer, Jean Porto had a way of calming each of her four kids in whatever way worked best for them.

In Dorghoud’s case, Porto spoke these words to comfort her nervous daughter: “Do not fear, for I am with you.”

Taken from Isaiah 41:10, the Bible verse became a staple in Dorghoud’s life whenever she felt overwhelmed by worry.

While starring for the University of Alabama-Birmingham women’s soccer team, she wrote that scripture on a piece of tape wrapped around her wrist. A few years after college, Dorghoud had the phrase tattooed on her upper back.

Now, as she prepares for the biggest athletic challenge of her life, she holds that verse even closer to her heart.

Dorghoud is competing for a spot on the first U.S. Women’s Futsal National Team. The 2004 Potomac High School graduate is in good position to make the squad after participating in the team’s first training camp last summer following impressive performances at its first two identification camps in 2023.

But obstacles remain. At age 38, Dorghoud is the oldest member of the most recent 18-player training camp pool – the average age was 28.7. More importantly, she is pregnant with her second child.

Dorghoud is due March 23, during a critical stretch in the national team’s bid to qualify for the inaugural World Cup, Nov. 21-Dec. 7 in the Philippines. In mid-January, the national team is scheduled to hold its second training camp in Sterling, followed by international matches in February and then World Cup qualifying at the CONCACAF Tournament April 28-May 5.

Since this unexpected journey began just under two years ago, Dorghoud has struggled with whether to keep pursuing this opportunity.

Is she too old to keep up with younger players? Will she recover quickly enough from delivering a baby to be in shape for future events once she returns in early May? Could she be a mom and a national team player without one suffering at the expense of the other?

All fair questions. But anytime Dorghoud focuses too much on the circumstances and not enough on God, she recalls what her mother said to her that day in the kitchen before that middle-school race.

“That’s what gave me the edge to keep pushing through,” Dorghoud said.

A new direction

Athletics have always been part of Dorghoud’s life.

Her father, Justin, wanted to get Dorghoud and her three siblings involved in some type of sport. Soccer was the primary one. Her two brothers, Jeremy and Joshua, and sister, Juli, all played the sport at Potomac. Juli also played soccer at the U.S. Military Academy.

At Potomac, Dorghoud was a two-time first-team all-district pick in soccer and a three-time MVP of the cross-country team. In college, she was a four-year starter at UAB. She earned all-conference honors three times and finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in shots taken.

After graduating from UAB in 2008, Dorghoud set her sights on playing soccer for a living. She began as an amateur for the Washington Freedom and the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL W League.

A professional opportunity then arose to try out for the Atlanta Beat of the Women’s United Soccer Association. A back injury, however, closed that door. Dorghoud stayed in sports through a marketing career, but low pay and long hours ended that pursuit. Heeding her father’s advice, she obtained a federal government job that provided better income and more stability.

Soccer, though, remained an outlet. Back in the Washington area, Dorghoud played in co-ed recreational leagues. That, in turn, led to a friend inviting her to try futsal as a member of the Alexandria Soccer Association.

A scaled-down version of soccer, futsal is played indoors on a basketball-sized court and features only five players on each side. Because of the smaller field, futsal has a quicker pace and higher scoring than traditional 11-on-11 soccer.

At ASA and then the Arlington Soccer Association, she was coached by Sascha Filippi.

That connection provided a fortuitous moment in Dorghoud’s athletic career.

In March 2022, U.S. Soccer announced plans to add a futsal women’s team. As an assistant coach, Filippi was charged with helping to choose the players.

Based on Filippi’s recommendation, Dorghoud was invited to the national team’s first two identification camps in 2023.

Filippi loved Dorghoud ’s attitude. Despite her extensive soccer career, Dorghoud was always willing to learn more. She also could play all three field positions (defender, winger, forward) and play them well.

“She’s dedicated,” Filippi said. “That’s priceless.”

Helping hands

The 5-foot-6 Dorghoud, who now lives in Alexandria, has always been a tireless worker.

But as she balances her personal life with her national-team aspirations and a full-time federal government job, she maintains a proper perspective.

“She has wisdom beyond her years,” said her father. “She sees what’s important in life.”

For inspiration, Dorghoud looked to other women who reached the highest level of soccer and still found time to be mothers. Former U.S. World Cup standout Joy Fawcett served as one example.

“She and some other players opened doors for female athletes that you can do both, and this is how you do it,” Dorghoud said.

After her daughter, Ava, was born in May 2022, Dorghoud and her husband wanted to have another child. But Dorghoud worried that might not happen when she was invited to the first identification camp. Given her age, she was concerned that devoting too much time to futsal meant a tighter window for giving Ava a sibling.

But after consulting with her family, who all agreed she could do both, Dorghoud moved forward.

“It’s been a dream of hers to always play at this level,” her mother said. “No is not in her vocabulary for something she wants.”

Dorghoud credits her family, friends and U.S. Futsal Soccer for allowing her to manage the demanding responsibilities. Everyone steps in where needed, starting with Dorghoud’s husband Sherif, whom she married in December 2020.

“There’s no way Jill would be able to do all she does without him doing all the things he does,” her mother said. “He’s so quiet about it, it can be easy to miss.”

After falling away from her Catholic faith in college, she’s found a renewed purpose through her relationship with God that influences her decision-making as well. To silence the world’s noise, Dorghoud said she loves going to her church’s chapel and immersing herself in quiet time through prayer.

In addition to the verse on her back, Dorghoud has three other tattoos with spiritual significance. One is of Jesus on her left forearm with the words “Totus Tuus,” which means “Totally Yours.” The saying is attributed to Pope John Paul II, who once kissed Dorghoud as a baby.

Another is of St. Dymphna on her right upper arm with the words “Strengthen Us” underneath. St. Dymphna is the patron saint of mental health. The last one is of three large roses on her right hip – representing the Holy Trinity.

Those tattoos are constant “reminders why I’m here on earth so I don’t lose that focus again.” Dorghoud said.

Keep believing

Dorghoud was good to go. U.S. Futsal had cleared her to compete in its first national team training camp July 28-Aug 2 in Georgia after she passed a physical.

But then a week before the camp, Dorghoud learned she was pregnant. At first, she wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret and attend the camp. She was so early in the pregnancy that she didn’t want to announce it until at least the three-month mark in case she ran into complications.

To weigh out her options, she spoke to her mom and to Bill Stearns, her cross-country coach at Potomac and someone she considers a father figure.

Ultimately, Dorghoud decided to tell the national team about her pregnancy. She knew it was the right thing to do.

“I’m very grateful that [the national team] allowed me the opportunity to move forward with the camp and that they saw that I could still potentially compete since the World Cup was still over a year away,” Dorghoud said.

One way Dorghoud prepares for this opportunity is by following the same ritual each time she finishes a workout with her “friend Peloton.”

Wearing a scapular around her neck to show her devotion to Jesus and Virgin Mary, Dorghoud first thanks God for keeping her safe by touching her chest with her right hand. Then with the same hand, she rubs her belly that carries her daughter.

Dorghoud wants her unborn child to know what sacrifice looks like in the hopes that she has the same drive and faith her mother does. As her own mother once told her, there’s nothing to fear. So go in peace.