Emily Sonnett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Emily Sonnett

Sonnett with Gotham FC in 2024
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	5ft7in
Playing position	Center back, full back, defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	NJ/NY Gotham FC
Number	6
Youth career
2003–2013	NASA 12 Elite II
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–	NJ/NY Gotham FC	10	(0)
National team‡
2011–2012	United States U18
2013–2015	United States U23	6	(0)
2015–	United States	103	(2)
Honours 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
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 May 2024. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 3, 2024

Emily Ann Sonnett (born November 25, 1993) is an American professional soccer player. She plays for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and for the U.S. National Team. Emily can play in different defense positions, like center back, full back, or defensive midfielder.

Emily 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. She won with the Thorns in 2017 and with the Washington Spirit in 2021.

For her country, Emily was part of the U.S. team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also won the SheBelieves Cup seven times.

Early Life and Education

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

Playing for North Atlanta Soccer Association (2003–2013)

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 in 2007 and 2008. They also won the Region III League Championship in 2008.

In 2011, Emily's team, NASA 12 Elite II, finished third in the U-17 national championship. Emily was chosen as one of the best U-17 players. In 2013, Emily helped NASA 12 Elite II win the U-19 national title. She was named the best player in the tournament, earning the Golden Ball award.

Playing for Fellowship Christian School (2008–2012)

Emily went to Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, Georgia, and finished school in 2012.

In 2011, her school's soccer team reached the state tournament semi-finals. The next year, Emily was the team captain. They made it to the 2012 Georgia state championship game. Emily finished her high school career as the school's top scorer. She had 113 goals and 41 assists.

Emily was named the 2011–2012 Gatorade Georgia Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She was the first athlete from her school to win this award. She also received other national awards for her soccer skills. In 2012, Emily signed to play soccer for the University of Virginia on a scholarship.

Playing for the University of Virginia (2012–2015)

In her first year in 2012, 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 play as a 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. In her third year, Emily helped UVA reach the national championship game. She scored important goals in the tournament. She was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tournament.

In 2015, Emily was named team captain for her senior year. In October 2015, she was called up to play for the senior United States women's national soccer team for the first time. She played her first game against Brazil.

UVA finished as runners-up in the 2015 ACC title. Emily led UVA to the quarterfinals of the 2015 NCAA women's tournament. She was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, a top award for college soccer players. Emily also won other awards like ESPNW Soccer Player of the Year. She left college 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 for the Thorns on April 17, 2016. She scored her first professional goal in the NWSL championship semi-final. She was one of three finalists for the NWSL Rookie of the Year award.

In 2017, Emily helped the Thorns win the NWSL Championship. She made an assist on the winning goal in the final game. In 2018, Emily 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, meaning she was one of the best players in the league.

Loan to Sydney FC (2017)

In October 2017, Emily joined Sydney FC in Australia for a short time. She scored a goal in her first game. She also helped her team win a semi-final game by assisting a goal in extra time.

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 pulled out of 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 match in 2017

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (2020)

Since she couldn't play for Orlando, Emily joined Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in Sweden in August 2020. She signed a short-term contract until November 2020. She played 10 league games and helped Göteborg win their first league title.

Washington Spirit (2021–2022)

On December 24, 2020, Emily was traded to the Washington Spirit.

In 2021, Emily played in 18 regular season games for the Spirit. She helped Washington win their first NWSL Championship. They beat the Chicago Red Stars 2–1 in extra time on November 20, 2021. In 2022, Emily got injured with broken ribs and later a foot injury.

OL Reign (2023)

On January 12, 2023, Emily was traded to OL Reign.

NJ/NY Gotham FC (2024–present)

On January 4, 2024, NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that Emily had signed a three-year deal with the club. She was one of four national team players who joined Gotham at that time. 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 the season in third place.

International Career

Emily Sonnett with the USWNT in 2019

Youth National Team (2011–2015)

In April 2011, Emily played in a special program in Costa Rica. In June 2011, she was called up to the U.S. U18 training camp.

Emily also played for the U.S. U23 team. In March 2014, she played as a center-back in the 2014 Six Nations Tournament. She played in all three games and helped the team win the tournament. In February 2015, she played in another U-23 tournament in Spain, helping the team win again. She was even captain in one game.

Senior National Team Debut (2015)

On October 16, 2015, Emily was called up to the senior U.S. women's national soccer team (USWNT) by coach Jill Ellis. She played her first game for the USWNT on October 25, 2015. She was still a student at UVA at the time. She played as a center back in a friendly game against Brazil. She played in three more friendly games for the USWNT before the end of 2015.

Playing for the USWNT (2016–Present)

In January 2016, Emily joined the national team's first training camp of the year. She played in two games during the 2016 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament. The USWNT won this tournament and qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Emily was also part of the team for the 2016 SheBelieves Cup in March 2016. She played the whole game against England. The USWNT won the 2016 SheBelieves Cup after beating Germany.

2016 Olympics

In July 2016, Emily was named an alternate player for the USWNT at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The USWNT lost in the quarterfinals to Sweden in a penalty shootout.

2017

Emily did not play much for the USWNT in 2017. She was called up for some training camps and tournaments but did not get to play in any games.

2018

In January 2018, Emily returned to play for the USWNT. She played as a substitute against Denmark. She was also named to the team for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup and played in two games. Emily started all three games at right-back during the 2018 Tournament of Nations. 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 chosen for the 23-player team to represent the United States at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in one game during the group stage against Chile. The United States went on to beat the Netherlands 2–0 in the final. This win gave them their second straight World Cup title and their fourth overall.

2020

Emily attended her fifth training camp in January 2020. She was named to the team for the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament. She played in 4 of the 5 games. The USWNT qualified for the 2020 Olympics and won the tournament. Emily also played in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, helping the USWNT win the title.

2021–Present

In January 2021, Emily played in two friendly games against Colombia. She assisted a goal in one of the matches. In February, she was part of the team for the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. She played in all three games and helped the USWNT win their fourth SheBelieves Cup title.

In the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship tournament, Emily scored her first goal for the national team. This was in her 69th game, during a 3–0 semi-final win against Costa Rica.

2020 Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June 2021, Emily was chosen for the 18-player team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. On July 24, 2021, Emily played her first Olympic game 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 18-player team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. She started two games at center back and helped the team win against Australia and Japan. She also played as a substitute in the gold medal game against Brazil, which the United States won 1–0.

Personal Life

Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan, and Caitlin Foord (who used to be her teammates at Portland Thorns FC) have matching tattoos. Emily is also very good 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

Washington Spirit

• NWSL Champions: 2021

Portland Thorns FC

• NWSL Champions: 2017
• NWSL Shield: 2016

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC

• Damallsvenskan: 2020

Individual Awards

• 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

Images for kids

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  Sonnett during halftime at a friendly match in 2017

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  Emily Sonnett with the USWNT in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Emily Sonnett para niños