Emily Sonnett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Emily Sonnett

Sonnett with Gotham FC in 2025
Personal information
Full name	Emily Ann Sonnett
Date of birth	(1993-11-25) November 25, 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)	Center back, full back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Gotham FC
Number	6
Youth career
2003–2013	NASA 12 Elite II
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Virginia Cavaliers	98	(6)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2019	Portland Thorns FC	78	(8)
2017–2018	→ Sydney FC (loan)	11	(1)
2020	Orlando Pride	0	(0)
2020	Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC	10	(0)
2021–2022	Washington Spirit	28	(0)
2023	OL Reign	22	(0)
2024–	Gotham FC	10	(0)
International career‡
2011–2012	United States U18
2013–2015	United States U23	6	(0)
2015–	United States	110	(2)
Medal record Representing  United States CONCACAF W Championship Winner 2018 United States Winner 2022 Mexico FIFA Women's World Cup Gold 2019 France Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris Team Bronze 2020 Tokyo Team CONCACAF W Gold Cup Winner 2024 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 2, 2025

Emily Ann Sonnett (born November 25, 1993) is an American professional soccer player. She plays for Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Emily also plays for the United States women's national soccer team. She is a versatile player, meaning she can play in different positions. These include center back, full back, or defensive midfielder.

Emily Sonnett played college soccer for the Virginia Cavaliers. She was the very first player chosen in the 2016 NWSL College Draft by the Portland Thorns. She has won two NWSL Championships. One was with the Thorns in 2017 and another with the Washington Spirit in 2021.

On the international stage, Sonnett has achieved great success with the United States team. She was part of the squad that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Most recently, she won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also won the invitational SheBelieves Cup seven times.

Early Life and School

Emily Sonnett was born in Marietta, Georgia. Her parents are Bill and Jane Sonnett. She has a twin sister named Emma. Emma also played soccer for the University of Georgia.

Playing Youth Soccer

Emily and her sister Emma started playing for the North Atlanta Soccer Association (NASA) in 2003. With NASA, they won the Georgia State Cup Championship twice in a row (2007 and 2008). They also won the Region III League Championship in 2008.

In 2011, Emily was named to the U-17 Best XI team. This was during the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series. In 2013, Emily helped NASA 12 Elite II win the U-19 national title. She was named to the U-19 Best XI and won the Golden Ball award as the best player.

High School Soccer Career

Sonnett went to Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, Georgia. She graduated in 2012.

In 2011, her high school team reached the semi-finals of the state tournament. The next year, with Emily as captain, they made it to the state championship game. Emily finished her high school career as the school's top scorer. She had 113 goals and 41 assists.

She was also named the 2011–2012 Gatorade Georgia Girls Soccer Player of the Year. This was a first for her school. Emily also received other honors, like being named a Youth All-American. In 2012, she signed to play for the University of Virginia on a scholarship.

College Soccer at Virginia

In 2012, during her first year, Emily's team, the UVA Cavaliers, won the regular season Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title. They also reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. Emily was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. She started as a center midfielder but soon moved to center back. She played this position for the rest of her college career.

In her second year, Emily played in all 26 games. She helped UVA reach their first College Cup in 22 seasons. They lost in the semi-final after a penalty shootout.

During her junior year in 2014, Emily scored 5 goals and had 3 assists. UVA was the runner-up in the ACC title. In the NCAA tournament, Virginia beat the defending champions, UCLA. Emily scored a goal in that game. UVA then reached their first College Cup final, but lost to Florida State. Emily was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

In 2015, Emily was named team captain for her senior year. She also received her first call-up to the senior United States women's national soccer team. UVA was again runner-up in the ACC title. Emily was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, a top award in college soccer. She was also named ESPNW Soccer Player of the Year. Emily left UVA early to join the NWSL but later graduated with a degree in sociology.

Club Career

Portland Thorns FC (2016–2019)

On January 15, 2016, the Portland Thorns FC chose Emily as the first player in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. She played her first game with the Thorns on April 17, 2016. She scored her first professional goal in the NWSL championship semi-final. She was also one of three finalists for the NWSL Rookie of the Year award.

In 2017, Emily helped the Thorns win the NWSL Championship. She even assisted on the game-winning goal in the final. In 2018, she played in 22 games and scored one goal. The Thorns reached the NWSL Championship game again but lost. Emily was named to the NWSL Best XI team.

Loan to Sydney FC (2017)

In October 2017, Emily joined Sydney FC in Australia for a short time. She scored a penalty kick in her first game.

Orlando Pride (2020)

In January 2020, Emily was traded to Orlando Pride. However, the 2020 NWSL season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Orlando Pride later withdrew from the special tournament that year because some players and staff tested positive for COVID-19. This meant Emily could not play for them.

Sonnett during halftime at a friendly game in 2017

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (2020)

Since she couldn't play for Orlando, Emily joined the Swedish club Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in August 2020. She played 10 league games there. Her team won its first Swedish league title, the Damallsvenskan.

Washington Spirit (2021–2022)

On December 24, 2020, Emily was traded to the Washington Spirit. In 2021, she played in 18 regular season games. She helped Washington win their first NWSL Championship by beating the Chicago Red Stars.

In 2022, Emily suffered broken ribs and a foot injury. She was placed on the injured list for part of the season.

Emily Sonnett with Gotham FC in 2025

OL Reign (2023)

On January 12, 2023, Emily was traded to OL Reign. She played 19 games for them that season.

Gotham FC (2024–present)

On January 4, 2024, NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that Emily had signed a three-year deal. She joined three other national team players who also signed with Gotham. Emily played her first game for Gotham in a 1–0 win against the Portland Thorns. She played the most minutes of any player for Gotham as they finished third in the league.

On May 25, 2025, Emily was fouled in the box during the 2025 CONCACAF W Champions Cup final. Gotham went on to win the competition, becoming the first-ever champions.

International Career

the USWNT in 2019

Youth National Teams

In 2011, Emily was called up to the U18 training camp. She later played for the U23 team. In 2014, she helped the U23 team win the Six Nations Tournament. In 2015, she helped them win the tournament again.

Senior National Team Debut (2015)

On October 16, 2015, Emily received her first call-up to the senior U.S. women's national soccer team (USWNT). She played her first game for the USWNT on October 25, 2015. This was a friendly match against Brazil. She played as a center back.

2016 Season

In 2016, Emily was part of the USWNT team that qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. They won the CONCACAF title that year. She also played in the 2016 SheBelieves Cup, which the USWNT won. Emily was named an alternate player for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The USWNT was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

2017 and 2018 Seasons

Emily did not play much for the USWNT in 2017. However, she returned to the team in 2018. She played in the 2018 SheBelieves Cup and the 2018 Tournament of Nations, which the USWNT won. She also helped the team qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

On May 2, 2019, Emily was named to the team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in one game during the group stage. The United States went on to win the World Cup, beating the Netherlands 2–0 in the final. This was the team's fourth World Cup title.

2020 Season

In 2020, Emily helped the USWNT qualify for the 2020 Olympics. They also won the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament. She played in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, which the USWNT also won.

2021–Present

In 2021, Emily continued to play for the USWNT. She helped them win their fourth SheBelieves Cup championship. In the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, Emily scored her first international goal. This was in a semi-final win against Costa Rica.

2020 Olympics (Played in 2021)

The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, Emily was named to the team for the Olympics in Tokyo. She made her Olympic debut in a group stage match against New Zealand. She also played in the bronze medal match against Australia. The USWNT won 4–3, earning their first Olympic bronze medal.

2024 Olympics

Emily was chosen for the team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. She started two games at center back, helping the team win against Australia and Japan. She also played as a substitute in the gold medal game against Brazil. The United States won 1–0, taking home the gold medal.

Personal Life

Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan, and Caitlin Foord have matching tattoos. They were all teammates at Portland Thorns FC. Emily is also close friends with her current and former teammates Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis.

Career Statistics

Club

International

International Goals

Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sonnett goal.

List of international goals scored by Emily Sonnett

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	July 14, 2022	San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico	Costa Rica	1–0	3–0	2022 CONCACAF W Championship
2	September 24, 2023	Chicago, Illinois, USA	South Africa	2–0	2–0	Friendly

Honors and Awards

United States

• FIFA Women's World Cup: 2019
• Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2024
• Summer Olympic Games Bronze Medal: 2020
• CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2018; 2022
• CONCACAF W Gold Cup: 2024
• CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016; 2020
• SheBelieves Cup: 2016; 2018; 2020, 2021; 2022; 2023, 2024
• Tournament of Nations: 2018
• 100 international appearances: 2024

Gotham FC

• CONCACAF W Champions Cup: 2024–25

Washington Spirit

• NWSL Champions: 2021

Portland Thorns FC

• NWSL Champions: 2017
• NWSL Shield: 2016

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC

• Damallsvenskan: 2020

Individual

• NWSL Best XI: 2018
• NWSL Second XI: 2019
• MAC Hermann Trophy Finalist: 2015
• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Year: 2015
• ESPNW Soccer Player of the Year: 2015
• Honda Sports Award Nominee: 2015
• NSCAA First Team All-American: 2015
• College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player: 2014
• Second Team All-ACC: 2014
• First Team All-ACC: 2013; 2015
• Second Team TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI: 2013; 2014
• ACC All-Tournament Team: 2012; 2014
• ACC All-Freshman Team: 2012

See also

In Spanish: Emily Sonnett para niños