Or, probably more likely, to play in the 2023 World Cup. With the Olympics roster being small, it's unlikely she'll be on it -- the roster that's out now is for qualifying, not for the Olympics themselves. And, Portland really wanted her, she fills a big need for them. So, she had an opportunity to play in what probably is the best women's soccer atmosphere in the world. If she sees soccer as her future, why not do it?
No question that Portland is great. I don’t understand the urgency for her to leave now, though. Watching Stanford play this past season, I would have never guessed Smith would be the one leaving early considering where she is with her game. I’m sure Jessie Fleming and Catarina Macario sees soccer as their future. Both will represent their countries well after developing and playing 4 years of college ball. IMO, places like FSU, Stanford, and UCLA teaches and develops players better than many NWSL teams. Not that anyone cares an old soccer dad’s opinion, but I believe Mal Pugh would have been much better served had she played for UCLA.
After seeing her play at a national team level, I was skeptical about Pugh's decision to turn pro. After a couple of years, I have not seen much of an improvement in her game. Perhaps she has plateaued. Soph took a while to heat up in her 2nd season at Stanford, but when she did, I saw some improvements in her game. 1st touch still needs work, as letting more of the ball do the work for her. Good luck to her in the pros. I would say it's North Carolina as favorites for 2020. The championship was decided via shootout. Had they won, they would have been the prohibitive favorites. They are loaded for 2020, as they get almost every starter back. There would also be that hunger, as they came so close. Soph was selected 1st overall. The team that selected her, Portland, maneuvered to be in a position to jump ahead of everyone else to get her. I think salaries are set for the selections, so who knows if she would have been selected 1st overall 2 years out. I would say that the athlete maximized her value by coming out this year. I would say that she accelerated her earnings potential by 2 years. A lot can happen in 2 more years of NCAA play, like someone tackling you from behind, breaking your leg, and getting away with it. I just hope that those earnings would be able to pay for 2-3 more years of Stanford, should she decide to finish up.
Hope it works out well for Sophia. A Stanford degree can be worth a lot over a lifetime. Soccer is a very unsure path given injuries and the constant influx of new toys (more talented youngsters).
its such a personal decision. we have no idea how good or committed a student she is. We dont know the economics and even with that, who are we to judge? Im sure she will do ok. Look at Pugh, she was touted as a cant miss generational player and yet she is no longer on the Olympic team and has just been traded. I find it hard to believe that any of her sponsors have gotten value for the reported 1MM each they ponied up. The payoff if WoSo is not correlated to how "well" you play as a pro. There are many other factors involved
You can always go back to college, the window to play elite level soccer is small compared to a lifetime.
Additionally, it's largely paid for while she's a player. I'm guessing not after she leaves school to pursue a pro career. That said, it may all work out for her. If I were her Father, I would have pushed for staying through graduation at least. There are always players who get USWNT call ups while playing college. As another poster pointed out, schools like Stanford do a good job of preparing their players for high level competition like USWNT.
The Sherm played in yesterday's Super Bowl. And Kelley O'Hara made an appearance at the same Super Bowl as well.
Congratulations to Naomi Girma, Sierra Enge, Kennedy Wesley, and Sophia Smith for making the final roster to represent the USA at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, to be held Feb. 22-March 8 in the Dominican Republic [link]
Also, incoming freshman Wheeler is one of three alternates training with the team in the camp leading up to the qualifying tournament. I’m surprised Doms didn’t make the roster, but perhaps she picked up a knock.
Ohhhhh ... so that's probably the reason why she took that course "History of the Beatles" in her brief 6-unit stopover at UCLA. The other course was probably basket weaving?
The latest Treecast with Troy Clardy features an interview with Paul Ratcliffe. Starts at around 16'. Talks about the frosh at 30', as well as roster management.
Macario becoming US eligible means a huge lineup shift for the WNT. she’s better than any of the forward starters and on par or better than the attacking midfield. In my dream world she forces a few of them into retirement.
Cat's ability/versatility to play up front or in midfield, at a very high level, would be of immense value to a roster limited to 18(?) players. She might also volunteer to be the field player as 3rd GK ===== I might have read/heard somewhere that Cat's plan was to finish by December. Don't know if this is still the case, or even if it ever was. IF Cat were to finish up by December, who knows, she might suit up for FSU.
How rude of you to tantalize me that way Good luck to her. With her, another natty is a strong chance, at least 50% IMO. Without her, I'd rate it as a 20% chance, which is better than anyone not named UNC.
from gostanford.com: Women’s Soccer Signs Five Welcome to the class of 2025! Kellie Pagador Andrea Kitahata Haley Craig A long way from summer camp
Here's hoping we have a spring season so we (FSU) can measure ourselves against the best of the West! Good luck and good health!