If you hadn’t heard of Sophia Smith before the USWNT’s opening World Cup game against Vietnam, you certainly have now. The young superstar announced herself on the world stage in the most spectacular way possible: two goals, one assist and an MVP award to show for it.
“A lot of relief. Honestly, I was anxious coming into the tournament, so it felt good to get that out of the way and then just be myself,” says a smiley Smith in the mixed zone after the game.
Despite her sweet and gentle manner, you’d be hard pressed to find someone more motivated than the winger. She is dead set on getting her hands on the biggest prize of them all, the World Cup. She wants to win by any means possible- she’s a mentality monster whose maturity goes way beyond her 22 years of age. “I tell everyone I want to win a World Cup and whatever comes with that, comes with that,” she says when asked by MARCA if she has her eyes on the golden boot.
It’s clear that the NWSL’s most valuable player wants to shift the focus from her to the group as a whole- on many occasions at the tournament, she’s emphasized that the USWNT’s successes are a collective effort rather than an individual one.
Try as she might though, it’s clear that the team need her contributions in the final third if they want to ‘three-peat’ and win their third consecutive World Cup. Even if she won’t admit it, the NWSL’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ is the key piece in Vlatko Andonovski’s side and her goals are an invaluable asset for the team.
Smith is one of the favorites to win the golden boot and it really isn’t hard to see why. The winger has had an absolutely outstanding season at club level. She’s the NWSL’s top goal scorer, having notched 10 goals in 13 games. She’s also the second highest assister with five this past season. They’re world class numbers- those that only the best players in the World are able to produce. They’re even more impressive when you consider her relative lack of experience. Smith was the first draft pick in 2020 and was named the league’s MVP at the end of her ‘rookie’ season. In other words, in just a few years she’s already become one of the best players, if not the best, in the league.
“I want to carry any momentum I can get into this. It’s a big tournament. It’s a World Cup. So, any type of confidence that I have from the NWSL, I bring it with me into this. Obviously, it’s a whole different ball game. It’s hard. And I’m just excited for that next challenge and hope to be the same player that I am in the NWSL with this team and that’s contributing in any way I can,” she says in a recent press conference.
How far the USWNT goes in this tournament will depend on if Sophia Smith can replicate her goalscoring form over the past few years for her country. I mean, she’s already shown she can do it against Vietnam. In attack, she was the standout player- head and shoulders above the rest. Now, she just needs to continue that way.
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