PORTLAND, Ore. – There’s a caution in Emily Sonnett’s voice, one that surfaces anytime she reflects on her soccer. Given how her career has unfolded over the last four years, it’s a caution that’s understandable.
Over the course of three seasons as a professional, the Portland Thorns FC defender has gone from her league’s first-overall draft pick and a fast-track to being a United States international to somebody who had to fight for her national team relevance. She may be on her way to France, now – set to participate, next month, in her first FIFA World Cup – but at 25 years old, she’s still not in a place where she can speak with assurance before correcting her course.