The Striker and the Clock

Praise

“Riveting. . . . A paean to the beautiful game, the book chronicles how Cloepfil overcame adversity to strike joy.” —Los Angeles Times

“This is a book of uncommonly honest insight, full of wisdom won not through adulation but persistence.” —The Washington Post

“A marvelous love letter to soccer and a testament to the drive and determination of professional female athletes. . . . Athletes and non-sports fans alike will enjoy this beautifully written memoir.” —Booklist, starred review

“A gorgeously written reflection on life as an athlete.” —BookRiot

“Profound.” —The Cut

“Athletes are rarely imagined as avid readers; lovers of books aren’t thought to care much about sport. If all sport bibliomemoirs were as good as Georgia Cloepfil’s compelling debut. . . these stereotypes could be expected gradually to lose their cultural power. . . . an allusive, self-aware, culturally aware and, above all, thoughtful book.” —Times Literary Supplement (UK)

“As poetic as anything you’ll read on the early days of pro women’s soccer, on the joys and grim realities of an athlete’s life, on pain tolerance, on the art of sportswriting itself. . . . [Cloepfil’s] writing helps readers understand why certain athletes, their brains and marriages falling apart, won’t just retire.” —Defector

“Georgia Cloepfil is that rare athlete who can write well about their sport and their passion…In 90 sharp entries mirroring the 90 minutes of play, Cloepfil captures what it’s like to fight so hard to play the game you love.” —Parade

“Spare but potent…An intimate glimpse at the determination and drive required to hack it in pro sports. Even casual soccer fans will devour this.” —Publishers Weekly

“A poetic, heartfelt tribute to the beautiful game.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Celebrates the beauty of soccer while showing the sacrifices elite athletes make to stay in the game. . . . A thoughtful and engaging exploration of life on and off the soccer field.” —Library Journal

“With the deft and determined movements of a seasoned player, Georgia Cloepfil writes about what it means to endure and what it means to leave a sport behind.” —Leanne Shapton, author of Swimming Studies

“This book is for anyone who has ever loved something with everything they had, anyone who has ever turned themselves over to glory, joy, and worship. A necessary and long-awaited entry into the literary sports canon, The Striker and the Clock is a transcendent love affair and an act of devotion.” —Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

“Georgia Cloepfil has written a nimble, breathtaking book about the beautiful game, and about her beautiful, brutal life playing it. It reveals so much about the strange, hard path of a young woman pursuing a career as a professional soccer player, but it is far more interesting than an ordinary story of passion, promise, setback, and success. It is, instead, a cleareyed exploration of what passion, promise, setback, and success even mean.” —Louisa Thomas, author of Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams

“This book introduced me to the poetry of soccer and the humble nomad that is the professional female soccer player. Cloepfil’s accomplishments and sacrifices while on the clock left me inspired; her talent on the page has me in awe.” —Courtney Maum, author of The Year of the Horses

“With swift and elegant prose, Georgia Cloepfil has written not merely a contemplation on sport and the sporting life, but rather a lyrical exploration on the myriad ways to move forward–be it toward a goal, a dream, that dream’s end, or toward a glimpse of the sublime itself. The Striker and the Clock serves as a poignant reminder that both art and sport can gift us fleeting encounters with the extraordinary.” —Chloé Cooper Jones, two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and author of Easy Beauty