Sophia Smith
Smith with the United States in 2021
Personal information
Full name Sophia Olivia Smith[1]
Date of birth (2000-08-10) August 10, 2000
Place of birth Windsor, Colorado, United States
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Portland Thorns
Number 9
Youth career
Real Colorado
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Stanford Cardinal 33 (24)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Portland Thorns 63 (34)
International career‡
2015–2016 United States U17
2017–2020 United States U20 25 (21)
2020– United States 38 (15)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 17, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of December 5, 2023

Sophia Olivia Smith (born August 10, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.[2] She played collegiate soccer for Stanford University, helping the Cardinal win the national championship in 2019. Smith was the #1 overall pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft.

In 2022, Smith was named NWSL Most Valuable Player (MVP) and US Soccer Female Player of the Year. She earned MVP honors at the 2022 NWSL Championship (after helping the Thorns win the 2022 title) and was named to the NWSL Best XI.

Early life

Born to parents Mollie and Kenny Smith, Sophia was raised in Windsor near Fort Collins, Colorado with her two older sisters Gabrielle and Savannah.[3][4] Smith's father played basketball at the University of Wyoming and her older sister Savannah played basketball at the University of Northern Colorado where she was the all-time leading scorer.[4][5]

Sophia's father said he knew when Sophia was 6 years old that she would be a soccer star after watching her dominate a 3-on-3 league.[6] On the car ride to the game, she told her father she was going to score ten goals, which she did accomplish.[5] Smith began playing co-ed soccer as a young child. She played U-6 through U-10 with the Timnath Twisters and U-11 through U-13 with Arsenal Colorado.[7] She won two state cups with Arsenal Colorado in 2012 and 2013.[7]

Smith attended Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, where she played for the varsity soccer and basketball teams as a freshman. She notched 10 goals and 4 assists in just 8 games and was named First-Team All-Conference.[7] Smith also played for the varsity basketball team.[7] She played club soccer for Real Colorado and was first called up to the U-14 national team in 2013.[3] With Real Colorado, Smith and the team finished runners-up at the ECNL National Championship in 2014 and 2016 and finished in fourth-place in 2015.[7] As a high schooler, Smith and her family would frequently drive 3–4 hours from Fort Collins to Denver and back for soccer practice with youth national teams. She earned a call up to the senior national team at age 16.[8][9]

College career

Smith attended Stanford University where she played for the Cardinal. She finished her abbreviated collegiate career as a two-time Pac-12 Champion and NCAA Champion after just two seasons.[4]

During her freshman season in 2018, Smith scored 7 goals and recorded 2 assists in 13 appearances.[4] She led the Pac-12 Conference with three game-winning goals and was named to the All-Pac-12 freshman and second teams.[4]

During the 2019 season, Smith scored 17 goals and provided 9 assists in 21 appearances. She was named to the Hermann Trophy watch list[4] and helped lead the Cardinal to win the 2019 NCAA College Cup. She scored a hat-trick in the semi-final leading Stanford to defeat the UCLA Bruins.[10] Stanford went on to win the national title via a penalty shootout in the final.[11] Smith was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player and earned All-Tournament team honors. She was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and tied for the seventh-most goals in Cardinal history.[4]

Club career

Smith playing for Portland Thorns FC at the 2022 NWSL Championship.

Smith was the #1 pick at the 2020 NWSL College Draft and selected by Portland Thorns FC.[12] Smith's first season with the Thorns was sidetracked by a foot injury and the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] She made four appearances during the NWSL Fall Series and scored one goal in a 3–0 win against the Utah Royals FC.[13] The Thorns finished in first place with a 3–0–1 record.[14]

Smith was a starting forward in 17 of her 22 appearances in the 2021 season and scored seven goals.[15] During her regular season league debut on May 16, 2021, Smith scored a brace against the Chicago Red Stars in a 5–0 win.[16] Portland finished in first place winning the NWSL Shield and earned a berth to the NWSL Playoffs where they were defeated by the Chicago Red Stars in the semi-finals.[17]

Smith scored three goals in five matches in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.[15] She earned league MVP honors for the 2022 NWSL season. The Thorns won the NWSL Championship with Smith scoring the first goal and she was named Championship MVP.[18]

On April 1, 2023, Smith scored her first professional hat-trick in a 4–1 victory against Kansas City Current.[19] She was named NWSL Player of the Month for March/April and to the NWSL Best XI of the month.[20] Two months later in June, she was named NWSL Player of the Month for the second time during the 2023 season after scoring six goals in four matches.[21] Despite a knee injury that kept her out for three games after returning from the 2023 FIFA World Cup, Smith went on to finish the 2023 season as the leagues top soccer. She secured the NWSL Golden Boot after scoring 11 goals in 16 matches and she was also named to the NWSL Best XI for the second time in her career at the conclusion of the season.[22]

International career

Smith has competed for the United States on the under-17, under-20, and senior national teams.

Smith competed at the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[23] In early 2017, she scored nine goals in six games, which is believed to be a youth national team record for goals in six consecutive games.[24] On March 31, 2017, Smith was called up for the first time to the senior national team for two international friendlies against Russia.[25][24][26]

After being a part of the under-20 squad that finished runner-up at the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, Smith was named to the USA U-20 roster for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[27]

Smith was called up to the senior national team for the first training camp of 2020 from January 5 to 15 after having been called into a talent identification camp in December 2019.[28][29]

On November 27, 2020, Smith earned her first national team cap in a game against the Netherlands, becoming the first player born in the 2000s to compete for the senior national team.[30]

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

Smith with the U.S. national team and Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, July 2023
Smith with the U.S. national team and Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, July 2023

Smith was named to the U.S. squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. During the team's first group stage match against Vietnam, she scored a brace and provided the assist for the third goal in the team's 3–0 win. Involved in every goal scored, Smith was named Player of the Match.[31]

In the United States' knockout stage match against Sweden, Smith played all 90 minutes of regulation time, as well as all 30 minutes of extra time. At the end of extra time, with a score of 0–0, the match moved to a penalty shootout. Smith was the second of three U.S. players who missed penalty shots, ultimately resulting in the U.S. being eliminated from the World Cup.[32]

Personal life

Smith met her boyfriend Michael Wilson, an NFL player, while they were both at Stanford.[9][33] She enjoys science fiction novels.[9] Her nickname is "Soph".[34]

Smith was featured on the June 2023 cover of Sports Illustrated along with national teammates Rose Lavelle, Alex Morgan, and Trinity Rodman.[35] She has been featured in Elle,[9] Vogue,[36] and Time magazines.[6]

Television and film

Smith co-starred in a commercial for ESPN's SportsCenter starting in January 2023 with Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn.[37] Starting in July 2023, she starred in a Nike, Inc. commercial entitled, "Nice to Beat You".[38] She starred in a Wells Fargo Visa commercial called "Lucky Soccer Socks" and a Chipotle commercial called "Starting Wing" the same month.[39][40]

Endorsements

Smith has endorsement deals with Nike, Inc.,[41] BioSteel Sports Nutrition,[42] Ally Financial,[43] Chipotle,[44] Clif Bar,[45] and Hyperice.[46]

Career statistics

Club

As of October 17, 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Playoffs[lower-alpha 2] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Portland Thorns FC 2020 NWSL —00—4[lower-alpha 3]141
2021 2173010—257
2022 18145321—2518
2023 1711201 0—2011
Career total 533210341417437

International

As of match played December 5, 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States 202010
202191
20221711
2023113
Total3815
Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Smith goal.
List of international goals scored by Sophia Smith
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 September 21, 2021 Cincinnati, Ohio  Paraguay 2–0 8–0 Friendly [m 1]
2 April 9, 2022 Columbus, Ohio  Uzbekistan 3–0 9–1 Friendly [m 2]
3 4–0
4 6–0
5 June 25, 2022 Commerce City, Colorado  Colombia 1–0 3–0 Friendly [m 3]
6 2–0
7 July 7, 2022 Guadalupe, Mexico  Jamaica 1–0 5–0 2022 CONCACAF W Championship [m 4]
8 2–0
9 September 3, 2022 Kansas City, Kansas  Nigeria 1–0 4–0 Friendly [m 5]
10 3–0
11 October 7, 2022 London, England  England 1–1 1–2 Friendly [m 6]
12 November 13, 2022 Harrison, New Jersey  Germany 1–1 2–1 Friendly [m 7]
13 July 22, 2023 Auckland, New Zealand  Vietnam 1–0 3–0 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup [m 8]
14 2–0
15 December 2, 2023 Fort Lauderdale, Florida  China 1–0 3–0 Friendly [m 9]

Honors and awards

Stanford Cardinal

Portland Thorns FC

United States U20

United States

Individual

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018 – List of Players: USA U20 (women)" (PDF). FIFA. July 26, 2018. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  2. ↑ Lytle, Kevin (September 26, 2016). "Two Fossil Ridge juniors playing for U.S. in U-17 soccer World Cup". Coloradoan. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Colorado native Sophia Smith returns home with U.S Women's National Team". Denver Post. June 24, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sophia Smith – Women's Soccer". Stanford University Athletics. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Sophia Smith like you've never seen her before: USWNT star's life in pictures". Yahoo! Sports. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Extra Time: Well Hello, Sophia Smith". Time Magazine. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "U.S. Soccer Bio". U.S. Soccer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017.
  8. ↑ Hruby, Emma. "Sophia Smith faced long journey to Portland Thorns, USWNT". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Minutaglio, Rose (July 17, 2023). "Sophia Smith Is Shooting Her Shot". Elle. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ Almond, Elliott (December 6, 2019). "College Cup: Sophia Smith Hat Trick Leads Stanford Women into Final". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ Almond, Elliott (December 9, 2019). "College Cup: Stanford extended to a shootout before winning title". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Thorns FC Select Forwards Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver with first two overall selections". www.timbers.com. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Portland Thorns blank Utah Royals 3-0: Live updates recap". The Oregonian. September 20, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  14. ↑ "2020 NWSL Fall Series". Soccerway. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Sophia Olivia Smith". Soccerway. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Portland Thorns bulldoze Chicago Red Stars in season opener, put NWSL opponents on notice as Sophia Smith states her case". The Oregonian. May 17, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ Peterson, Anne M. (November 14, 2021). "Portland Thorns fall to Chicago in NWSL semifinal". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 Azzi, Alex (October 30, 2022). "Portland Thorns win 2022 NWSL Championship, MVP Smith scores game winner". On Her Turf. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  19. ↑ Clarke, Ryan (April 1, 2023). "Portland Thorns, led by first career hat trick from Sophia Smith, secure 4–1 road win over Kansas City Current". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith named NWSL player of the month". The Oregonian. May 4, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Portland Thorns' Sophia Smith named NWSL player of the month for June". The Oregonian. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  22. ↑ FC, Portland Thorns. "She's Golden: Sophia Smith wins 2023 NWSL Golden Boot". Portland Thorns FC. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  23. ↑ Woitalla, Mike (March 9, 2017). "Real Colorado's Sophia Smith gets her goal fix with U.S. U-18s and U-20s". SoccerAmerica. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  24. 1 2 "Ellis Calls 16-year-old Forward Sophia Smith to Training Camp". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  25. ↑ Garza, Daniel (April 3, 2017). "16-year-old called in to replace Tobin Heath for Russian friendlies". MLS Multiplex. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  26. ↑ Lytle, Kevin (March 31, 2017). "1946 Fossil Ridge's Smith joins U.S. women's soccer team". Fort Collins Coloradoan. The Coloradoan. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  27. ↑ "USA Roster Named for 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup". July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  28. ↑ "26 Players Comprise WNT Roster for January Camp and Matches in Europe". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Andonovski Names 24-Player Roster for U.S. Women's National Team December Identification Training Camp in Florida". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Sophia Smith makes national history for women's soccer". The Stanford Daily. December 15, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Rapinoe: The sky's the limit for Smith". FIFA. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  32. ↑ "United States vs. Sweden highlights: Sweden triumphs on penalty kicks". FOX Sports. August 6, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Who Is Sophia Smith's Boyfriend? All About NFL Rookie Michael Wilson". People. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Windsor's Sophia Smith ready for World Cup star turn with USWNT". Denver Post. July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  35. ↑ Apstein, Stephanie (June 15, 2023). "The Future Is Now for the USWNT". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Meet Four of the Most Exciting New Stars of U.S. Women's Soccer". Vogue. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  37. ↑ "ESPN Continues 'This is SportsCenter' Campaign with "Stoppage Time"". ESPN. January 16, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Nike TV Spot, 'Nice to Beat You' Featuring Sophia Smith". ispot.tv. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Wells Fargo Active Cash Visa Card TV Spot, 'Lucky Soccer Socks' Featuring Sophia Smith". ispot.tv. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Chipotle Mexican Grill TV Spot, 'Starting Wing' Featuring Sophia Smith". ispot.tv. July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  41. ↑ "US talents Sophia Smith, Alyssa Thompson headline the rising stars at the Women's World Cup". ABC News. July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  42. ↑ "BioSteel Adds International Soccer Star Sophia Smith to its Elite Roster of Next Generation Athletes" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Ally highlights all women's sports in new WWC ad". Sports Business Journal. July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  44. ↑ "Chipotle Teams Up With U.s. Soccer Stars Rose Lavelle and Sophia Smith to Launch New Menu Items Ahead of Qualifying Games". Chipotle. June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Sophia Smith". Clif Bar & Company. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Hyperice adds US Soccer to expansive sponsorship portfolio". Sport Business. April 7, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  47. ↑ Rooke, Jamie (March 2, 2022). "NWSL Challenge Cup: Players to watch in 2022". Her Football Hub. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Portland Thorns FC goes unbeaten in NWSL Fall Series to win Community Shield". SoccerWire. October 19, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  49. ↑ Sepich, Scott (October 17, 2021). "Portland Thorns clinch NWSL Shield with 1–0 road win over Houston Dash". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  50. ↑ Snipes, Tyler (August 22, 2021). "The Portland Thorns are WICC Champions!". International Champions Cup.
  51. ↑ "Les Etats-Unis remportent la première Sud Ladies Cup" (in French). Sud Ladies Cup. June 10, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  52. ↑ "U.S. Women's National Team Rolls to Title at 2021 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa, With Dominant 6–0 Victory Against Argentina". U.S. Soccer. February 25, 2021.
  53. ↑ "U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Iceland 5–0 to Win Third Consecutive and Fifth Overall SheBelieves Cup Title, Presented by Visa". U.S. Soccer. February 23, 2022.
  54. ↑ Das, Andrew (July 19, 2022). "U.S. Women Beat Canada to Claim Spot in Paris Olympics". The New York Times.
  55. ↑ "Sophia Smith Voted 2022 Biosteel U.S. Soccer Female Player Of The Year; Jaedyn Shaw Voted 2022 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player Of The Year". US Soccer. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  56. ↑ "Portland Thorns FC Striker Sophia Smith Named 2022 NWSL Most Valuable Player, Presented by Budweiser". NWSL Soccer. November 3, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  57. ↑ "NWSL Announces Winners of Mastercard Best XI Awards". NWSL Soccer. November 3, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  58. ↑ "NWSL Announces Winners of 2023 Mastercard Best XI Awards". November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  59. ↑ NWSL [@NWSL] (June 27, 2022). "✌️ Brace Queen ✌️" (Tweet). Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Twitter.
  60. ↑ Clarke, Ryan (May 4, 2023). "Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith named NWSL player of the month". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  61. ↑ Clarke, Ryan (July 6, 2023). "Portland Thorns' Sophia Smith named NWSL player of the month for June". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  62. 1 2 "Sud Ladies Cup 2018 : les récompenses" (in French). Sud Ladies Cup. June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
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