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We’re celebrating Sophia Smith, and you’re all invited. Take a party favor—aka a free commemorative poster—on us.
All you have to do is pick up a copy of today’s paper. On pages 17 and 18, you’ll find a commemorative poster of Portland Thorn and World Cup star Sophia Smith.
It felt like the right moment to create a memento celebrating Smith. This week, after all, is her ascension to the international stage after three years winning the hearts of fans in Goose Hollow. Even in a city where women’s soccer rules, few players have matched Smith’s skill and poise, and nobody else rocks a bubble braid with such style. We could all use somebody to cheer for this summer. Smith is giving us that—and how.
Get to know her with a few key stats:
AGE: 22
POSITION: Forward for the Portland Thorns and the U.S. women’s national soccer team
HOMETOWN: Windsor, Colorado
ARRIVED IN PORTLAND IN: 2020. Smith played two seasons at Stanford University and led the Cardinal to the 2019 NCAA championship before being drafted by the Portland Thorns FC in the 2020 NWSL college draft. She was the No. 1 pick overall, and we got her…thank God. Though her Portland Thorns debut was delayed by the pandemic and an injury, Smith came in hot in September 2020, scoring her first professional goal within minutes of stepping onto the field at Providence Park.
GOALS SCORED FOR THE THORNS SINCE THEN: 31. It’s a lot. Like…that’s pretty much her whole thing. Well, that, and upgrading the iconic “soccer braid” to a much more with-the-times bubble braid. Anyways…in Smith’s second full season in the NWSL in 2022, she scored 14 goals for Portland—a club single-season record.
HER TOP MOMENT AS A THORN: Smith was named the NWSL’s 2022 MVP—the youngest ever. She was also the top scorer for both the Thorns and the U.S. women’s national team, and was voted the 2022 BioSteel U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. But you probably best remember her for scoring the first goal of the NWSL Championship game, then celebrating with an iconic shrug.
She dedicated the shrug to her doubters. “There’s been a lot of people who don’t think that I deserved to win MVP,” she told USA Today. “So that was a little bit of, you know, that’s that.”
HER FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTISTS: Kane Brown, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele and Cardi B.
FAVORITE TAYLOR SWIFT SONG: “Love Story” or “Enchanted”
WHERE SHE CAN BE SPOTTED IN PORTLAND: Going on hot girl walks to Trader Joe’s.
WHAT HER COACH SAYS ABOUT HER: “She’s extremely explosive,” Thorns head coach Mike Norris says. “World-class pace when she’s running with the ball at her feet. On top of that, just really good quick release…the ability to get shots off without any cues or triggers.”
WHAT SHE SAYS ABOUT HER GAME: “I shoot all the time,” she says on TikTok. “Like, any chance I get to shoot, I shoot.”
HOW SHE’S DOING IN THE WORLD CUP: In her World Cup debut July 21, Smith scored two goals in the first half, leading the U.S. team to victory against Vietnam. Smith then won player of the match, which was presented to her by her father. In a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, she nearly scored the tie-breaking goal—it was deflected from the net by an opposing player. A July 31 draw with Portugal was forgettable for the entire squad, including Smith.
WHERE TO WATCH HER PLAY: A Women’s World Cup round of 16 watch party this weekend at The Sports Bra, 2512 NE Broadway. The party begins at 2 am Sunday, Aug. 6. Closer to home, the World Cup’s conclusion sets up Smith for a homecoming with the Thorns in a match against Seattle at 7:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 16.
IF SHE WEREN’T A SOCCER PLAYER, SHE’D BE: An interior designer with her own HGTV show. She told Yahoo Sports she doesn’t compare herself to past players: “I’m the first and only Sophia Smith.”