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Boonton High School junior Anastasia Showler-Little added another major highlight to her soccer resume when she accepted an invitation to join the United States U-17 Women’s National Soccer Team at the FIFA World Cup in October and November of 2025.
Showler-Little, the star of the Bombers soccer team who is more commonly known as Nasty, made the most of the opportunity, improving her skills, taking in new experiences and playing among some of the best U-17 female soccer players of this generation.
Through interviews, Showler-Little shared her typical Day in the Life (DITL) experience in Morocco, where she balanced training, team bonding and international play.
Training Days
Showler-Little said she and her teammates typically began their days with morning screens around 8 a.m. There was a focus on hydration and dealing with soreness in order to be fully prepared for the full day of training ahead of them. Following this, the U-17 squad would come together to enjoy breakfast, which consisted of an assortment of eggs, bread, fruits, and meat. This breakfast was most important because it would ensure that the athletes were fueled for the rest of the day!
Breakfast was followed by a pre-training meeting around 10 a.m. The coaches used this time to explain what would be going on in practice or, if a game was scheduled for the next day, the session was used to explain what kind of team they would be up against.
Next, Showler-Little and her teammates boarded a bus to go to their 11 a.m. practice. What did practice look like? It began with passing patterns and technical works that would keep the athletes on their toes. It would then slowly progress into small-sided and, eventually, larger games. Showler-Little prioritized hydration and recovery, especially following the hard practice.
Team lunch, according to Showler-Little, consisted of a salad bar, bread, pasta/rice, chicken/beef/salmon, fruit and vegetables. Nasty noted that this was her favorite meal of the day because she and her teammates would sit around and simply talk about everything that went on at practice and what the rest of the day had in store for them.
A studious athlete, she takes academics very seriously. She devoted three hours of her day, usually 2 to 5 p.m., to ensure she did not fall behind. After studying, she went on to a team dinner at 6 p.m. During this time, Showler-Little and her teammates prepared themselves with ideas to bring up during the team meeting. These meetings allowed the team to determine what areas they needed to target during practices to ensure they would be able to beat the competition.
Training days concluded around 8:30 p.m. At that time, the players had free time to do whatever they pleased until bedtime. Showler-Little, however, said most of the players rested and prepared themselves for the challenging day ahead.
Game Days
Undeniably exhilarating, game days were definitely the highlight of Showler-Little’s experience in Morocco. The team woke up later than usual and indulged in breakfast around 9 a.m., about an hour later than training days. Instead of following up the two-hour breakfast with a meeting, the team would engage in some sort of leisurely activity such as soccer tennis or a team walk. Lunch was at noon and there was more talk of that day’s match.
As shared by Showler-Little, the game times varied. She noted, however, that every game day the team was sure to leave a few hours before the start time, dressed in their travel uniforms. She expressed that the most memorable experience on the trip was “definitely the pre-game routine in the bus.” Some of the moments on this bus encapsulated essential team bonding. Showler-Little made note of the times spent singing along to countless songs on the way to compete in their games. Upon arriving at the field, the team would begin their pre-game routines. Mostly, the girls would prepare for warmups with snacks, hydration, and recovery tools. Right before beginning the game, there was a pre-game speech. Their coaches prioritized hyping the girls up yet keeping them in a calm state of mind in order to maximize their performances.
Following the game, the team took part in post-game press conferences, where awards such as the “player of the match” would be given out. Of course, no game was completed without a post-game talk. Showler-Little appreciated these discussions as they analyzed the match. They mostly discussed what went well, what could be improved, and how to finish off on a strong note. Dinner, heavier than other meals, capped the game days.
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