5 Things to Know About USWNT Star Sophia Smith Ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup

usmagazine.com:

Sophia Smith will join the roster of soccer greats — including Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe — as she helps lead the United States Women’s National Team as they compete in the World Cup later this month.The forward, 22, has competed in multiple Women’s World Cups before as part of the USWNT.

In 2016, she played in all three of the U.S. team’s matches and in 2018, she scored three goals.As the USWNT gears up for the Women’s World Cup, Smith is certainly a name to watch for on the field.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the soccer star: In addition to her time on the USWNT, Smith attended Stanford University and helped lead her team to the 2019 NCAA Championship, per her official bio.

After opting to go pro the following year, Smith was the No. 1 draft pick for Portland Thorns FC in 2020. Two years later, she led the team to the 2022 NWSL Championship, winning MVP of the Champion Game.During a 2022 interview with Soccer.com, Smith opened up about the challenges she faces as a soccer star in the spotlight — and how she balances that pressure by being a team player.“Being an athlete is a very challenging thing and it’s not just challenging physically, it’s challenging mentally,” she said. “There’s a lot of pressure that comes with it, especially being a young athlete that’s kind of in the spotlight.”Ultimately, “pressure is a good thing to me,” Smith explained. “But at the same time, it’s important for me to balance that in my life and make sure that it’s not overwhelmed me in tough moments.