Sophia Smith: Who is the USWNT’s new superstar & will she start vs England?

It’s a difficult task to try and break into the US Women’s National Team side, but Sophia Smith has done just that. 

Despite being blessed with a plethora of attacking options, many of whom are World Cup and Olympic winners, Smith has cemented herself as an integral part of Vlatko Andonovski’s plans in recent years. 

Still only 22 years old, the striker has the world at her feet and could well play a starring role against England at Wembley on Friday. 

But who is the Portland Thorns forward and why are people so excited about the talented youngster? 

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Smith was born in Colorado and played football and basketball as a teenager. 

In 2018, she joined Stanford University and quickly established herself as a star for the Stanford Cardinals –– scoring 24 goals in 33 appearances across two seasons. 

Smith helped Stanford win the national title in 2019 and her performances attracted the interest of numerous NWSL teams. 

The following year, she was drafted as the number one pick by the Portland Thorns in the 2020 NWSL draft. 

Smith scored seven goals in her first season with Portland –– helping them finish top of the NWSL regular season. 

This year, Smith scored 14 goals in 18 games and finished just one shy of Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan. 

Smith is already one of the most prolific forwards in the game and plenty of coaches have hailed the US star as the real deal. 

Jamaican national team coach Lorne Donaldson, who spotted Smith as a junior, told Our Game Magazine just how good she was as a child. 

“When we saw her at 12 years old, she was just electrifying,” she said.. “She had a competitive edge, she was the kind of player we liked, a bit like a Mal Pugh [who also played for Real