“Every Day Is Father’s Day”: Robin and Nicki Fraser Build Soccer Legacy Together

June 17, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Colorado Rapids News Release

Robin Fraser sat in his office at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park with his TV on, searching for the right channel. With multiple laptops open on his desk as he attempted to stream Fox Soccer Plus, Fraser battled feelings of nervousness and pride as he watched his daughter take the pitch in a U.S. National Team jersey for the first time at just 16 years old.

“By the end of that whole qualifying round, I literally had four computers and an iPad trying to make sure that I got that last game,” Robin said.

His daughter, Nicola “Nicki” Fraser, was called up to the under-17 U.S. Women’s Youth National Team camp ahead of its World Cup Qualifying run in the Dominican Republic this spring. Not only was she playing up an age group, but the defender recorded five caps and one goal in the qualifying round after attending just one national camp in her young career.

For a father that’s been in the game for almost five decades, it’s one of Robin’s proudest moments. Thirteen years ago, her soccer career was something he could only speculate about as a three-year-old Nicki attempted to pass the ball around at her older sister’s practices, only to fall down each time.

“I have this distinct memory that whenever I kicked the ball I kept falling over–I used to actually just hit the deck,” Nicki said. “And he used to get so annoyed with me in a joking way. That was my first memory of him being involved when I was a kid.”

Since Robin has come back to Colorado after time at New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC and Chivas USA, the two have shared plenty of time together. The Rapids’ head coach attends his daughter’s practices and games when he can and offers feedback on her play. When COVID hit the league in 2020, the duo took advantage of the lack of school and Rapids’ responsibilities and trained four days a week and three hours per day.

“It’s nice having him back here because he’s involved in my life and he always has solutions,” Nicki said. “He just always has the right thing to say, he always has a solution for every problem. He knows how to fix it or at least he gives me ideas. So I never feel discouraged whenever he says anything to me or criticizes me. I just always know it’s coming from a place that he knows what he’s talking about. So it’s a comfort that I can always go to him.”

The Fraser father-daughter duo are now making history as intergenerational national players for the United States. With her first…