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.
“I try not to look at it, but it’s always going to be there,” Smith says of the online debate surrounding her award, with her being the youngest player in history to receive the honor. “It’s hard to avoid, but … there always will be conversations, arguments [and] debates, and I wanted to make it a point that I really, truly believed that I deserved to win MVP this year.”
Smith’s confidence is backed by an impressive stat line: She notched 14 goals, one fewer than Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan, and three assists through the regular season. The former Stanford star’s ascension to the top of U.S. professional soccer materialized at warp speed. She lifted the league trophy just two years after being selected first by Portland in 2020, the first teenager to be selected in the NWSL draft, and is emerging as a mainstay on the U.S. women’s national team. Smith is no longer the future of the sport—she is the now.
