5 things about Sophia Smith, U.S. Soccer’s key piece in a chase for Olympic gold

As the USWNT move forward with fresh faces, Smith is firmly in place as a major piece in the American attack

It’s hard to imagine the U.S. women’s national team in this version without Sophia Smith in it.

As the American attacking corps has gone into a revamp with legendary players like Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe — and even Alex Morgan fading into the background, players like Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman and Smith have become the 2.0 of a national team eager to return to its historic spot as the preeminent world No. 1.

Smith is a player who can certainly take them there. But who is she? From her playing days at Stanford to her immediate impact on U.S. Soccer’s senior squad, here are five things you should know about Sophia Smith.

She guided Stanford to a national championship … as a sophomore

In her breakthrough second season with the Cardinal, Smith helped guide the program to the Final Four and then supplanted their trip to the championship in 2019 by scoring a hat trick in a semifinal game against UCLA. She’d follow that up with a dominant performance in the final, ensuring a win in addition to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

She was named player of the match in her first FIFA World Cup

In the U.S.’ first match against Vietnam, Smith scored two goals and assisted on a third to secure a 3-0 win. It would give the then 22-year-old forward her first Player of the Match award. Coincidentally, in her second Olympic appearance on Sunday, Smith scored a brace to lead the Americans in a 4-1 win over Germany.

She’s the first player born in the 2000s to play for the USWNT

In a win over the Netherlands on Nov. 20, 2020, Smith earned her first “cap,” soccer terminology for her first appearance with the senior national team. At just a few months into being 20, she became the first U.S. women’s national team player to make the senior roster born in 2000 or later. Since that start, Smith has racked up 22 goals in over 50 appearances with the team.

She’s getting married soon

In June, Smith got engaged to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, whom she met while both attended Stanford. Wilson, a 6-2, 213-pound target, was selected in the third round by the Cardinals in last year’s NFL Draft. In his first season, he racked up 565 yards receiving on 38 catches and three TDs. The gene pool is strong with these two.

Speaking of gene pools…

Sophia isn’t the only one in the Smith family that has been a high-level athlete. Her parents, Kenny and Molly Smith were college athletes, with her dad a basketball player at the University of Wyoming and her mom a volleyball standout. She is the youngest of three sisters, and her older sister Savannah, still holds the all-time scoring record at the University of Northern Colorado.