Sophia Smith (soccer, born 2000) facts for kids
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Smith in 2024
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sophia Olivia Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 10, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Windsor, Colorado, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5ft6in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Portland Thorns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real Colorado | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Portland Thorns | 75 | (44) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | United States U17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | United States U20 | 25 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | United States | 58 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Sophia Olivia Smith (born August 10, 2000) is an American professional soccer player. She plays as a forward for the Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She also plays for the United States national team.
Sophia helped her college team, the Stanford Cardinal, win the national championship in 2019. She was the very first player chosen in the 2020 NWSL College Draft by the Portland Thorns. In 2021, she was the top scorer for the Thorns when they won the NWSL Shield. The next year, in 2022, she led the Thorns to win the NWSL Championship. She was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Championship MVP. In 2023, she won the NWSL Golden Boot for scoring the most goals in the league.
Before joining the senior United States team in 2020, Sophia played for the under-17 and under-20 teams. In 2022, she was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she scored three goals and helped the United States win the gold medal.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Beginnings
Sophia Smith was born to Mollie and Kenny Smith on August 10, 2000. She grew up in Windsor, near Fort Collins, Colorado. She has two older sisters, Gabrielle and Savannah. Her father played basketball at the University of Wyoming. Her older sister Savannah was a top basketball player at the University of Northern Colorado.
Sophia's father noticed her soccer talent when she was only 6 years old. She once told him she would score ten goals in a game, and she did! Sophia started playing co-ed soccer when she was very young. She played for the Timnath Twisters and later for Arsenal Colorado. With Arsenal Colorado, she won two state cups in 2012 and 2013.
Sophia went to Fossil Ridge High School. As a freshman, she played both soccer and basketball. She scored 10 goals and made 4 assists in just 8 soccer games. She was named First-Team All-Conference. She also played club soccer for Real Colorado. She was first called to the U-14 national team in 2013. With Real Colorado, her team finished second in the ECNL National Championship in 2014 and 2016. Sophia often drove 3–4 hours from Fort Collins to Denver for soccer practice. She was even called up to the senior U.S. national team when she was just 16.
College Soccer Journey
Sophia went to Stanford University and played for the Cardinal team. She had a very successful college career, winning two Pac-12 Championships and a national NCAA Championship in just two seasons.
In her first year (2018), Sophia scored 7 goals and had 2 assists in 13 games. She led the Pac-12 Conference with three game-winning goals. She was named to the All-Pac-12 freshman and second teams.
During the 2019 season, Sophia scored 17 goals and made 9 assists in 21 games. She was on the list for the Hermann Trophy, which is a top award in college soccer. She helped the Cardinal win the 2019 NCAA College Cup. In the semi-final, she scored three goals (a hat-trick) against the UCLA Bruins. Stanford then won the national title after a penalty shootout in the final. Sophia was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player. She was also named to the All-Pac-12 second team.
Professional Club Career
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Sophia Smith was the first player chosen in the 2020 NWSL College Draft by Portland Thorns FC. Her first season was tough because of a foot injury and the COVID-19 pandemic. She played in four games during the NWSL Fall Series and scored one goal. The Thorns finished first in that series.
In the 2021 season, Sophia started in 17 of 22 games and scored seven goals. In her first regular season game on May 16, 2021, she scored two goals (a brace) against the Chicago Red Stars. Portland finished first in the league, winning the NWSL Shield. This earned them a spot in the NWSL Playoffs, but they lost in the semi-final.
Sophia scored three goals in five games in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. She was named the league MVP for the 2022 NWSL season. The Thorns won the NWSL Championship, with Sophia scoring the first goal. She was also named the Championship MVP.
On April 1, 2023, Sophia scored her first professional hat-trick in a 4–1 win against the Kansas City Current. She was named NWSL Player of the Month for March/April. She won this award again in June after scoring six goals in four games. Even though a knee injury kept her out for three games after the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Sophia still finished the 2023 season as the league's top scorer. She won the NWSL Golden Boot with 11 goals in 17 games. She was also named to the NWSL Best XI for the second time. In 2024, she signed a new contract with the Thorns, making her the highest-paid player in the NWSL.
International Soccer for the USA
Sophia has played for the United States at different levels: the under-17, under-20, and senior national teams.
She played in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. In early 2017, she scored nine goals in six games, which was a record for a youth national team. On March 31, 2017, Sophia was called up to the senior national team for the first time.
After helping the under-20 squad finish second in the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, Sophia was chosen for the USA U-20 team for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Sophia was called to the senior national team's first training camp of 2020. On November 27, 2020, she played her first game for the national team against the Netherlands. She was the first player born in the 2000s to play for the senior national team.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Sophia was part of the U.S. team for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. In the team's first game against Vietnam, she scored two goals (a brace) and helped with the third goal in their 3–0 win. She was named Player of the Match for her amazing performance.
In the knockout stage game against Sweden, Sophia played the entire game, including extra time. The score was 0–0, so the game went to a penalty shootout. Sophia was one of three U.S. players who missed their shots, and the U.S. team was eliminated from the World Cup.
2024 Highlights
Sophia was on the USWNT team for the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, which the U.S. won. She scored one goal against Canada in that tournament. She was also on the team for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. She scored two goals in the final, which the U.S. won after a penalty shootout. Sophia scored her penalty shot and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
2024 Paris Olympics
Sophia was chosen for the 18-player team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. She scored two goals in the 4–1 win against Germany in the group stage. She scored against Germany again in extra time in the semi-finals, winning the game 1–0. The United States then beat Brazil 1–0 in the final, winning the gold medal!
Personal Life
Sophia Smith met her fiancé Michael Wilson, who is an NFL player, when they were both students at Stanford University. They got engaged in June 2024. Sophia also enjoys reading science fiction books.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Playoffs | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portland Thorns FC | 2020 | NWSL | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 7 | |||
| 2022 | 18 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 25 | 18 | |||
| 2023 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 11 | |||
| 2024 | 19 | 12 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 12 | ||||
| Career total | 75 | 44 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 94 | 49 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 17 | 11 | |
| 2023 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 20 | 9 | |
| Total | 58 | 24 | |
- Scores and results list United States's goal tally first; score column indicates score after each Smith goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21, 2021 | Cincinnati, Ohio |  Paraguay |
2–0 | 8–0 | Friendly | |
| 2 | April 9, 2022 | Columbus, Ohio |  Uzbekistan |
3–0 | 9–1 | ||
| 3 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 6–0 | ||||||
| 5 | June 25, 2022 | Commerce City, Colorado |  Colombia |
1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 6 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 7 | July 7, 2022 | Guadalupe, Mexico |  Jamaica |
1–0 | 5–0 | 2022 CONCACAF W Championship | |
| 8 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 9 | September 3, 2022 | Kansas City, Kansas |  Nigeria |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | |
| 10 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 11 | October 7, 2022 | London, England |  England |
1–1 | 1–2 | ||
| 12 | November 13, 2022 | Harrison, New Jersey |  Germany |
1–1 | 2–1 | ||
| 13 | July 22, 2023 | Auckland, New Zealand |  Vietnam |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup: Group stage | |
| 14 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 15 | December 2, 2023 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |  China |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 16 | March 6, 2024 | San Diego, California | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
2–1 | 2–2 (aet) (3–1 p) |
2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup | |
| 17 | April 9, 2024 | Columbus, Ohio |
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(5–4 p) |
2024 SheBelieves Cup | ||
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| 19 | June 4, 2024 | Saint Paul, Minnesota |  South Korea |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 20 | July 13, 2024 | Harrison, New Jersey |  Mexico |
1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 21 | July 28, 2024 | Marseille, France | Germany |
1–0 | 4–1 | 2024 Summer Olympics: Group stage | |
| 22 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 23 | August 6, 2024 | Lyon, France | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2024 Summer Olympics: Semi-final | ||
| 24 | October 24, 2024 | Austin, Texas |  Iceland |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Stanford Cardinal
- NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship: 2019
Portland Thorns FC
- NWSL Championship: 2022
- NWSL Shield: 2021
- NWSL Challenge Cup: 2021
- NWSL Community Shield: 2020
- Women's International Champions Cup: 2021
United States U20
- CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship: 2020
- Sud Ladies Cup: 2018
United States
- Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2024
- SheBelieves Cup: 2021, 2022, 2024
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2022
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup: 2024
Individual Awards
- US Soccer Female Player of the Year: 2022
- NWSL Most Valuable Player: 2022
- NWSL Championship Most Valuable Player: 2022
- NWSL Best XI: 2022, 2023, 2024
- NWSL Player of the Month: June 2022, March/April 2023, June 2023
- SheBelieves Cup Most Valuable Player: 2024
- Sud Ladies Cup Best Player: 2018
- Sud Ladies Cup Top Scorer: 2018
- ESPN FC Women's Rank: #5 on the 2024 list of 50 best women's soccer players 2024
- IFFHS Women's World Team: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Sophia Smith para niños
