Sophia Smith isn’t much of a gamer.
“It doesn’t come naturally to me,” Portland Thorns USWNT forward tells us Just a women’s sport Laughed. “I think with more practice I can get better.”
Whatever skills Smith lacks on the virtual court she makes up for with her talent on the actual court. Ironically, this talent earned her an oversized screen role in the popular soccer video game EA Sports Club.
Earlier this week, the 24-year-old was named to EA Sport’s Team of the Year for the second consecutive time. The honor puts her alongside international heavyweights such as Barcelona Aitana BonmatiChelsea’s Lauren James and Lyon’s Wendy Renard.
While the game may not be top of mind when Smith wins olympic gold medal While in Paris last summer, she noticed that FC 25 had become an important way for fans to get to know their favorite players. The franchise wouldn’t fully integrate into the NWSL until 2023, but Smith’s status in the game quickly rose.
Her profile picture often appears in the country TV commercialScore goals alongside men’s soccer stars like Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham while wearing the Thorns and U.S. Women’s National Team jerseys. It may just be a video game, but FC 25 feels more and more like one of the few platforms that sees both sides of the sport as having equal potential.
This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed by Smith. She said fans sometimes recognize her because she’s not from the Olympics or from another country. new world super league champion Appearance, but from a video game. “When people have the ability to play a game they’ve been playing their whole lives with women, it opens up a whole new door for us,” she said.
“This is great for female athletes because it shows that we should be competing, too,” she continued. “We should also have this platform to put our names on the same level as men.”
EA FC creates a level playing field
Although EA FC 25 Team of the Year The breadth of this year’s league squad, chosen as voted on by fans, has also calmed some of the debate currently raging within women’s football. It’s no secret that NWSL players sometimes struggle to gain traction at the top level european awards. It’s a tension Smith himself faced before his breakout with the U.S. National Team.
“I do think the NWSL doesn’t get enough recognition,” Smith said. “There are a lot of opinions about it, maybe people who don’t even watch any of the games. It can be frustrating because it’s a very challenging league – every game is competitive.”
To prove her point, she cited the time spent by her USWNT teammates and Stanford alums Naomi Gilma thereby gaining recognition on the international stage. She added that if any player could join EA FC’s All-Year Team, it would be the San Diego Wave center back — “and not just because she’s my best friend.” NWSL players like Gilma and Smith continue to grow The global market may not appease critics who promote European football over American football. But Smith sees the differences between leagues as an asset, not a problem, for players.
“Any league can be good for any player for a number of reasons,” she explains. “You learn things in Europe that you can’t learn here and vice versa. That’s why players come and go.”
“I believe every league in existence can be challenging in its own way and we’re all trying to figure it out,” she continued. “FC having women in the game – women from the NWSL and European leagues – gives us all the equality we deserve. It allows you to identify someone based on their game, not based on whether they’re in European or NWSL competition to determine their game.”
Watch USWNT Growth in 2025
Smith’s game speaks for itself. The striker scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists in a disappointing performance at the 2023 World Cup. USWNT’s Olympic Distance Runleading the team to win its first major championship trophy since 2019. Her contribution to the club is equally impressive. Although Portland failed to advance to the playoffs, she scored 12 regular-season goals and added six assists. 2024 quarter-finals.
But the year has taken its toll, and Smith said prioritizing rest will be critical to being ready for whatever 2025 holds.
“I feel like this offseason was really needed for me,” she said. “While it’s been a great year, it’s also been a long year — we’re just giving it 110 percent, 24/7, so when we go into the offseason, it’s like a slap in the face.”
Smith said her body is recovering from an ongoing ankle injury that has limited her playing time in the second half of 2024. “I spend a few weeks most offseasons starting to train,” she said. “I took a little longer this offseason. I knew that in order to have a good start next year, I needed to give my body what it needed as much as possible.”
Since there are no major competitions in the U.S. 2025Smith looks forward to seeing the national team continue to gel and develop. she firmly believes USWNT manager Emma Hayes The spirit of “if it ain’t broke, break it”. This makes her excited to push herself and her team to take things to the next level.
Bringing the energy of EA FC Team of the Year back to Portland
Smith also has work to do in the NWSL. She is rejoining a Portland club that saw multiple legends After an uncharacteristic sixth-place finish in 2024, a major part of the competition is gone. As a leader, she wants to see the Thorns return to the top of the table. She hopes to carry on the legacy of retired stars like this Christine SinclairBecky Sauerbrunn and Megan Klingenberg.
“It’s changed every year since I got to Portland. I’m used to it now,” she said. “The best thing we can do as players is stick together and play for each other every day. And work toward the same goal, which is to win.”
“Easier said than done,” she admits. “I’m used to being one of the younger players on the team. I still am, but I have more experience. I feel like I can be a leader in a different way.”
and Victory in 2024 Behind her, Smith sees the new year as an opportunity to improve without the pressure of a major event. As always, the goal comes down to one simple thing: growth.
“I’m not the loudest person,” she said. “But I can lead by example and show up every day and try to be the best version of myself and help those around me be better.”
Make connections on and off the screen
One thing Smith can guarantee is that she will continue to connect with her fans. That’s true whether it’s signing autographs after a game or scoring a goal in EA FC 25.
“Not so long ago, I was that little kid watching someone I grew up looking up to,” she recalled. “If they take a minute to say hello or sign something, that means a lot.”
“So I try to be that person in people’s minds. If I can do that with FC, if I can do that in real life, I’m always going to take the chance.”
