For Manya Puppione, her days begin at 6 a.m. on the soccer field before the sun has risen. She spends her day training athletes, followed by hosting a leadership academy. She even squeezes in coaching CrossFit throughout the week. Despite her busy schedule, Manya finds her fulfillment in pouring into the same community that developed her as an athlete.
Manya, a former Sun Devil Soccer star, created an impressive career for herself beginning at just the young age of 18, when she won her first World Cup. Now many years and accolades later, she has created Royalty Sports Performance, a company that helps athletes develop their skills through training, film breakdown, and most importantly, confidence building.
Manya’s journey to this success began even earlier than her time at Arizona State. The Connecticut native began her soccer career at just three years old, following in her two older brothers’ footsteps. Playing at the local recreation center wasn’t an option for her with no girls' team. However, Manya didn’t mind, so she joined the boys league while also developing passions for gymnastics, basketball and baseball.
As her soccer skills undeniably emerged, she left her other sports behind and set her sights on playing at a higher level. Told by coaches that her 5’4” frame was too little to go far, Manya wasn’t convinced it would be an issue. She was right.
“I had such a fire in my heart that I wanted to prove people wrong. I played as if I was the biggest player on the field. I played with a lot of passion and grit. I have a lot of energy and just love for the game.”
As she was finishing up high school, Manya was scouted by Tracy Leone, the U19 national coach, to play for the U.S. team. Manya trained with the team and traveled to Canada to play in what was the first-ever women’s youth World Cup held by FIFA. In a 1-0 victory over Canada, Manya became a World Cup Champion at just age 19, a victory that would stick with her for years to come.
“That was an amazing experience. I learned a whole lot about what it means to compete at that level. Nothing's going to really ever match winning a World Cup, regardless of the age. Even seeing the World Cup take place this summer brings back cool feelings.”
Her U-19 coach, Tracy, was also the wife of Ray Leone, ASU Soccer Head Coach at the time, who couldn’t pass up on recruiting Manya as well. Coming from Connecticut, Yale seemed like the obvious choice to those around her, but when Manya toured ASU, she couldn’t help but feel at home.
“They were looking to build a program that was relatively new within the Pac-10. The team culture of a supportive community, sisterhood, soccer goals were also important to what I wanted to accomplish. Having Tracy as my national team coach, I know that she would help me continue to develop if I was out there”
And develop she did.
Manya’s time as a Sun Devil was one of the most decorated in program history. Arriving in Tempe two weeks late because of her World Cup commitments didn’t slow her one bit. She emerged as a Freshman All-American and Academic All-American studying Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication along with the Barrett Honors Program.
She didn’t stop there, becoming a captain and having almost too many memorable moments to count. Defeating USC 1-0 with her singular goal, earning game winners against Oregon and San Francisco, netting the game-winning goal over Washington and making history as the first time the Sun Devils defeated the Huskies. She also remained undefeated against rivals University of Arizona for all four years, scoring the only goal against the Wildcats to win the game. As a team, the Sun Devils even made two runs to the national tournament in her four years.
But when asked what her favorite times as a Sun Devil were, it wasn’t the glory of her victories but rather who she spent those moments with.
“It was definitely all the goofy stuff that we would do together as a team. We were very close, and we would just hang out. Obviously I remember games and stuff, but the memories that are more important to me are just the lifelong bonds that I created. I'm still close with a lot of the girls from the team, even though we're all over the nation and the world, there was a time of us just being goofy college athletes laughing and having fun.”
As she transitioned on from ASU, Manya had been practicing with the U-21 national team in hopes of another World Cup. However, breaking her leg rerouted her home to Connecticut, where she rehabbed, earned her master's in Business Administration, played on a semi-pro team and helped lead a girls academy.
In 2009, she was drafted to the Los Angeles Sol in the first year of the Women’s Professional Soccer League, where she had a championship run. An experience that she holds close to her still.
“I was on a team of superstars. I played with Marta, a FIFA World Player of the Year. U.S. national team stars like Shannon Boxx, Aly Wagner and Karina LeBlanc, the Canadian goalkeeper. It was like a dream, it was surreal. My first year playing pro in my mid-20s was a really cool experience. We lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Being in LA was a dream.”
Unfortunately, the team folded after a year and Manya was drafted to the Atlanta Beat. As she began her new journey in Atlanta, just four days into the preseason Manya tore her ACL. Where most athletes would feel pressure to retire, Manya’s hardships only pushed her more.
“I was being tested and trialed, but God had gotten me through it. I rehabbed and did what I could. Coaches here in the states weren't necessarily too sure of me, and once you have an ACL tear, it's very hard to come back, especially at that level.”
Despite the odds, a comeback was brewing for Manya as she went to play overseas in Iceland. She had a strong season and was drafted to the Western New York Flash Team the following year. But her time in New York ended before it even began as the Women’s Professional Soccer league folded. With just two weeks until the European transfer window closed, Manya knew she had a decision to make, so she called up an old friend from Iceland.
“I said, 'Get your coach on the phone. I just want to play.’ So I ended up signing with her team in the Finnish league. I was actually losing money, even though I was getting paid to play. It was not a big contract. I was just so grateful and so happy that I didn't have to end my career and that I can continue playing. I actually had the best year of my career professionally that year.”
She was named the captain of her European club, unheard of as an American, and went on to break the league record in goals, netting 36 goals in just 26 appearances. She was even voted Player of the Year. Her success earned her a spot on the new American league, NWSL, for the Sky Blue team. Unfortunately, multiple concussions that season faced Manya with the difficult decision to retire after a decorated career.
Despite a constant theme of adversity in her career through injuries and unfortunate circumstances, Manya’s talent and passion for the game proved to carry her through. Her husband Bobby Puppione, whom she met on the sidelines recruiting, sees something special in Manya’s fight.
“I was telling our players that we work with a story about a buffalo. It doesn't run away from a storm. It runs through the storm, runs through adversity and keeps going. The analogy of her hitting adversity head-on and tackling it. Not letting it define her or stop her from pushing forward. That's something that is so obviously admirable, and it's something that hopefully inspires others to keep doing that-not to run away from tough times, but to tackle it head on.”
Former Sun Devil Head Coach Ray Leone happened to reach out at the perfect time, offering Manya the opportunity to come coach beside him in his new role as Head Coach of the University of Maryland, to which Manya accepted. Her coaching career progressed as she became head coach at Marymount University, then transitioned to a Division I head coach at George Mason University.
Most recently, Manya has taken her wisdom and experience to a new area, Royalty Sports Performance. Beginning her company just over a year ago, she focuses on sports training and mentorship ranging from youth to professional athletes. This includes not just one-on-one training but all aspects of mental performance, health, soccer IQ development, social media presence, and college recruitment. Something that Manya believes has been a gap in the market for a long time.
“I wish when I was younger I had a mentor like this. Someone doing video review with me, mental performance, and doing all these things with me. I've just taken all of my experience as a player and as a coach into what I do now. It's been really rewarding even when it’s very tiring.”
Bobby, Girls ECNL Director for Virginia Development Academy, has been able to see a testament of her work firsthand in some of his own club players,
“One of our players that plays for me and also works with her just committed to college this week. A couple more of them committed two weeks ago. She’s helping get these players off to the next level at college. She even has national team players that she works with. I see her commitment to really developing a relationship with the player, getting to know them as a person, wanting to know what they're about and how she can help them reach their goals.”
As she enters this chapter, Manya reflects on what might be next for her.
“I would love to have my own facility at some point, but for me, it's not about the soccer. It's more than soccer, and just helping these players on and off the field in their own personal development.”
As the two reside just outside of Washington, D.C., with their two dogs Charley and Timber, they both continue to find fulfillment in their faith and leadership in the soccer community.