dk_b
GOLD
I agree with you. It's a fact that athletes continue to develop, regardless of the sport, as they grow and mature as players. How many 18-year-old soccer players are playing pro? Like right from high school? My DD's D1 coach once told her, "Women's soccer players, in general, haven't fully developed until 22-23 years old." Of course there are rare exceptions. But with that thinking, the NWSL should be loaded with fresh out of high school players who bypassed college.
During recruiting, one of the coaches told my daughter - a GK - that a GK's peak is in her late 20s when her physical abilities can match how she reads/understands the game. The latter piece will continue beyond that so that greater knowledge can contribute to improved play even if the physical skills plateau or even regress. That applies to some degree to field players, too (I can think of some players who use that craftiness into their 30s so that they remain effective)