Age: 24 Position: Forward Teams: Portland Thorns and United States
There are not many strikers in world football in better form right now than Sophia Smith.
The 24-year-old was a crucial cog in the United States’ Olympic gold-medal winning campaign, hitting the back of the net three on three occasions at Paris 2024.
The most important of those was an extra-time winner against Germany in the semi-finals, with Smith showing supreme composure to beat Ann-Katrin Berger.
Smith also proved prolific in the SheBelieves Cup, scoring two goals and converting her penalty in the shootout in the final against Canada to earn herself the tournament’s Most Valuable Player accolade.
However, her hot goalscoring form for the United States should have come as no surprise given her record at club level.
The Portland Thorns forward finished the 2023 regular season as the NWSL’s Golden Boot winner with 11 goals – a tally she has already matched in 2024.
Smith in her own words
What did it feel like to score an extra-time winner in an Olympic semi-final?
“I kind of blacked out a little bit, it was a lot of emotions, but I just remember seeing the ball hit the back of the net and being like ‘we did it’.
“I felt like I could cry of happiness and joy. Yeah, it just felt like all the pieces came together and it was surreal. It was like a dream.”
What’s it like to be part of the United States’ ‘Triple Espresso’ front three alongside Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson?
“It’s amazing, I mean, it’s fun because they are two of my best friends off the field, and then that obviously translates on the field. We have really great chemistry.
“I feel like I always know what they’re going to do even before they do it, and I think the same for me, but it just clicks.”
How does she feel representing the United States as a black player?
“When I was growing up there were very few black players on the US women’s national team.
“It’s so important because I think for every young boy, every young girl to see players who look like them – doing what they maybe want to do or just doing something special in general – that goes a long way and it’s important for young athletes to see that, to know that they can be exactly that too.”
How proud is she of her performances over the past 12 months?
“It’s very easy to have goal droughts which I’ve had, but I think the most important thing for me is remaining confident and knowing what I can do and what I bring to every team I play on and always giving 100%, even if maybe the goals aren’t coming at that moment.
“I feel really rewarded because I’ve worked my whole life, a lot of it when no-one’s watching and to get that gold medal at the end of it or to get the recognition feels really good.”
What does she wants her legacy to look like?
“I hope that at the end of my career I can look back and feel like I was 100% myself and I want to feel like I turned over every stone – and not awards, not any of that but how I showed up every day.
“How I was as a team-mate, how I was as a role model and just knowing that I inspired people and I showed young kids that they can be exactly who they want to be and nothing can stand in their way.”
‘A do-it-all player’
Former United States forward and Ballon d’Or winner Megan Rapinoe said: “She can just hurt you in so many different ways.
“She comes inside, she can beat you around the edge. She’s so quick. She is kind of a do-it-all player.”
Last season’s achievements
What else should you know?
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Smith was the first player born in the 2000s to play for the USWNT
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She is engaged to Michael Wilson, who is an NFL player at the Arizona Cardinals
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She signed a new contract with Portland in March 2024 that made her the highest paid NWSL player ever