Amber Searls/USA TODAY Sports
Having conquered the NWSL with a championship and the title of MVP, the young Thorns star is ready to take on the pressure that awaits the USWNT.
Sophia Smith has long been touted as the next big thing in U.S. soccer, and, after a landmark 2022 campaign, the 22-year-old’s moment has officially arrived.
In the NWSL final in late October, Smith beat Kansas City Current keeper Adrianna Franch one-on-one and buried the go-ahead goal for the Portland Thorns—and then flashed an instantly iconic, meme-worthy Michael Jordan shrug. It was an unforgettable moment for the league’s 2022 MVP—a celebration she says she didn’t plan, but one that put her critics on notice.