Floridian Rookies Series: Mia Asenjo
From UCF to Liga F in Spain
Born: March 7, 2003 in Valley Stream, NY
Current Team: DUX Logroño (Spain’s Primera Federación, the second tier of women’s soccer)
Connection to Florida: after attending high school in Florida, she played for UCF before going professional
The fight for roster spots available in the National Women’s Soccer League and the USL Super League are expanding every year. Still, there are lots of players capable of playing at a higher level than the NCAA who won’t be able to step in right away. Luckily for them, many other countries have leagues with attractive destinations to start one’s career. Mia Asenjo has taken advantage of one such option, moving to Spain to take the next step professionally in soccer.
Before making this leap, Asenjo had to prove herself at the youth level. Born in New York, she moved to Florida during her high school years, playing for Montverde Academy outside of Orlando. Her play there and for club side Florida Kraze Krush drew the attention of the staff at the University of Central Florida. Before joining the Knights, she was also called up to play for the Dominican Republic youth team at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, which was hosted in two cities in the Republic. Asenjo scored four goals to help her side move on to the knockout stages.
Playing for her national team became a more regular thing, with Asenjo making her senior debut in February 2021. She scored in the 1-1 draw with Puerto Rico, marking an incredible first performance. It should hardly be surprising she was so well regarded after being named the Gatorade Florida Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season. Her decision to transfer to Montverde Academy certainly paid off.
After taking a redshirt year her freshman season because of an ACL tear, she then became a regular for the Knights and for las Quisqueyanas on the international stage. In early 2024, she was named to the Dominican Republic team when they took part in their first ever senior international competition, the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. She started their opening match, a 5-0 loss against the much heralded US women’s national team, before the squad bowed out in the group stage. While certainly a tough lesson, it seems Asenjo saw the opportunity for growth.
After playing out the 2024 NCAA campaign that fall, Asenjo took her next step, moving to Spanish second tier side DUX Logroño. Taking part in the Primera Federación for 2024-25, her new club was looking to earn promotion to the top division. La Vinotinto finished fourth overall, qualifying for the promotion playoffs. In early May, they dispatched with SE AEM from Lleida before taking on fifth place side Cacereño in a two-legged final. In the second leg of that tie, Asenjo scored the first goal, ultimately helping lead her team to a 6-1 aggregate win that secured promotion to the top flight. This means the side from northern Spain will be taking on the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona come the 2025-26 season in Liga F. Her gamble on herself, once again, paid off.