The Theatre of Dreams lived up to the billing for Canadian international Simi Awujo.

Last month, as the 21-year-old midfielder prepared to sub into the match for Manchester United in her professional debut, she turned to teammate Rachel Williams and said one word.

“Dreams.”

Awujo grew up cheering for United and also has family in England who support the club. When she was younger, she attended a Manchester United camp and visited Old Trafford, where she took a picture.

“It was surreal… I don't think that version of me would have ever thought that I would be able to play and step on that pitch,” Awujo told TSN. “Just thinking about myself being in the stands at one point to now being on the field is life changing.”

After three seasons playing in the NCAA with the University of Southern California, Awujo, a dual national who grew up in Atlanta, decided to forgo her final year of college and make the jump to the professional ranks.

Awujo signed with United in early August, a week after Canada was eliminated at the Paris Olympics. She has appeared in all three games for the Red Devils this season, coming off the bench in two Women’s Super League (WSL) matches, and earning her first start last week in a 2-0 win against Liverpool in the FA Women’s League Cup.

“To believe that was Simi’s first start – she played like she played 50 games already,” United head coach Marc Skinner said following the match.

The decision to leave USC didn’t come lightly for Awujo.

“I did love where I was at university, but I feel like the timing was everything, coming off the back of an Olympics and just having that experience under my belt and being able to transition to a pro environment from there,” she said.

Awujo had opportunities to turn professional earlier in her collegiate career, but she wanted to pursue her academic goals. She studied computer science and business while attending USC and is continuing to work on her degree remotely.

While it was bittersweet for Awujo to leave before her........

© TSN