By Ryan Makuch
AFC Ann Arbor are delighted to confirm the signing of Anni Rusanen ahead of the 2022 USL W-League campaign. Rusanen, who hails from Finland, making her the first Finnish-born player to lace up their boots for AFC Ann Arbor, joins The Mighty Oak from William Carey University where she has played alongside fellow newcomer to AFCAA, Camila Pescatore.
Rusanen is coming off her second consecutive naming to the NAIA All-American list, where she earned Second Team honors for her role in the midfield of WCU. Also a three-time All-SSAC honoree, including garnering First Team honors as a senior. In her senior season, Rusanen played in 22 of the side’s 23 matches and started 19 of them. She scored one goal in the season, but the lone goal was a massive one – a 90th-minute game-winner, in the opening round of the 2021 NAIA Tournament that would help propel her side ultimately to the NAIA National Tournament Final.
On her skills as a player, Rusanen said, “I think my biggest strength is my fitness level. I work really hard to stay fit, and it allows me to play at my best in every game.” She would continue, saying, “I can fight for every ball and work hard for 90 minutes or more. I'm also good at 1v1 situations, both attacking and defending. I like to dribble and take people on, but I also like to play quick and simple to connect with teammates.”
The addition of Rusanen adds not only adds quality to The Mighty Oak, but it makes for another set of teammates even in the early days of roster building. Rusanen and Pescatore are now the first duo in 2022 announced by AFCAA to be collegiate teammates and second duo to have been teammates at any level (Kendall Robertson and Anna Doane — Michigan Rush youth club ranks) before suiting up this season with The Mighty Oak.
Women’s Head Coach Boyzzz Khumalo thinks that having some players who have existing connections coming into the season can be very helpful in instilling a sense of camaraderie to the entire side. “I think it’s good to have a relationship on and off the field. The reason for that is because the season is too short, it makes sense for me to have people that already know each other rather than bringing in a bunch of people who don’t know each other and starting from scratch, because by the time the season ends that’s when people start clicking, and we want people to click right away.”
Rusanen is not jumping in based just off her existing knowledge of Pescatore, though. “I did my research, and the club and environment seemed professional, warm, and welcoming,” she would say. Having never been to Michigan before, she looks forward to the great adventure, saying, “I'm excited to live in a new city, meet new people, and play with a new team.”
As a final statement, a message to take home about Rusanen for AFCAA supporters, she would say, “I hope to learn a lot in a new environment and improve as a player. I'm very excited to play with new teammates, coaches, and staff and learn from them. I hope to make an impact on the program and play at my best.”
AFC Ann Arbor are excited to welcome Anni Rusanen into the fold, and we look forward to welcoming her to the AFCAA Family in-person this summer.