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United States Women’s National team forward Sophia Smith The company has signed a contract with the Portland Thorns The National Women’s Soccer League, which is the league that she plays in, has a contract with Portland through 2025, with an extension option through 2026.NWSL) announced Wednesday.
ESPN confirmed that Smith’s contract will make her the highest-paid player in the NWSL. ESPN later confirmed the information.
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This past offseason, the record for the highest cumulative contract in NWSL’s history was broken on several occasions.
Chicago Red Stars Forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC Forward Racheal Kundananji, Orlando Pride Forward Barbra Banda All signed multi-year contracts worth between $2.5m and $2m. Smith signed a shorter deal but will earn more annually, according to the Thorns, even though general manager Karina LaBlanc declined specific numbers.
Smith said, “There is no such place as Portland,” in a small interview roundtable that included ESPN. “I don’t think there’s an atmosphere like Portland to play and it’s the city that’s special to me. It’s a place that I feel I’ve almost grown up and become who i am.”
Smith, 23, was selected by the Thorns as the No. Thorns made Smith the No. Since then, she’s scored 34 regular-season goal and became the youngest player ever to win both the MVP award (in the year 2022) as well as the Golden Boot award (in the year 2023). She re-signed in March 2022 with the Thorns and led them to their 3rd NWSL Championship that same year.
Smith was set to be a free agent by the end of the season and “thought all the possibilities,” she said.
LeBlanc says she has been asked about Smith’s current status by fans in the grocery store, her dentist and everywhere else she goes in Portland. Smith’s re-signing required Portland to fall first.
The Thorns have been performing well on and off the pitch since the NWSL was founded in 2013. Portland, the NWSL’s epicenter for abuse, has been a hotbed of turmoil over the past two years. Under increasing fan pressure, former Thorns controlling owners Merritt and Paulson eventually succumbed to the pressure in 2022. The team was sold After multiple investigations revealed how he and Thorns’ management mishandled previous player complaints, and allowed alleged abuser Paul Riley continue to work in the league.
The Bhathal family, led by new controlling owner Lisa Bhathal Merage and which invests in NBA’s Sacramento Kings, is led by Lisa Bhathal Merage. Thorns were purchased for a record-breaking $63 million, then in the NWSL. Portland ended two years of uncertainty last January. The conversation with Smith quickly changed.
Smith told ESPN, “New owners change everything.” “Since my arrival, there have been many things going on at this club – a lot that is not good. I was just waiting for stability and reassurance that the club is heading in the correct direction. And the Bhathals coming in is exactly that if not even more.
“Their vision is so exciting. You can see how passionately they want to make the Portland Thorns a global leader in women’s football and push the standard as high as they can.” So, I’d say that new owners coming in with a sense of stability and a forward-thinking mentality is something that definitely played an important role in why I wanted to stay here.
Smith has become a regular for the USWNT, ever since she trained with the senior team as a 16 year old in 2017. She has scored 16 US goals in 44 matches and was a starter at the team’s 2023 World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.
LeBlanc stated that “Soph can be the best athlete in the world.” “She’s eager to do a number of things. You can tell she’s still young by looking at her. You’d think that she was young for what she has accomplished. [in her] She’s in her 20s, and she has the ability – and I think that this is the place where the hunger comes from – to study and learn the game. Her pace puts everyone else behind her. Her pace puts her ahead of everyone. [with] The ball is at her feet. She can run quickly but she also dribbles with the ball at her foot just as fast.”
LeBlanc stated that re-signing Smith “was one of the first things” he did. [she] Bhathals. Smith, one of the top players in the NWSL had many options domestically and internationally if her previous contract had expired. FIFA reports that transfer spending increased 165% in the last window compared to the previous year. Many experts predict spending will increase again this summer.
Smith’s resigning in Portland is a further boost to the NWSL claim that it is the best league in world, especially since the NWSL has come under renewed criticism after the USWNT was eliminated at the round-16 stage of 2023 World Cup.
Smith said, “I feel like I am not done here yet and I want more to do with this club.” “I do not believe that every player must go to Europe to become what they are supposed to be. I think that the discussion is Europe vs. NWSL: Which league is better? I believe that the two leagues are so distinct that it is impossible to compare them. They are just the right fit for each person at any given time.
“I believe they are both unique challenges. I think Europe would test me in a very different way. [how] The NWSL is a challenge for me but I love this league and the style of play. I feel that I have so much more to learn about this league, and this club in particular, and I do not want to move away from it yet.
Smith said she was pleased that NWSL has achieved free agency with their first collective agreement with the League and that “I will get there at some point but I’m satisfied with my decision right away.”
Smith’s campaign in 2024 is off to an impressive start, despite Portland losing the first two games of this season. She scored two goals in the Thorns season-opening loss of 5-4 to the Kansas City Current earlier this month. On Sunday, in the 1-0 loss to NJ/NY Gotham FCSmith appeared to score the 3,000th league goal twice, but VAR called each play back.
Smith was fouled at least six times during Sunday’s match, with four of them resulting in yellow cards. She has been the target of physical play across the NWSL but her performance has not dropped. She increased her goals and assists per 90 minutes in less than 300 minutes, and finished as the top scorer of the league.
Thorns, USWNT teammate: “She came on the scene and people didn’t know what to do about her.” Becky Sauerbrunn Smith was quoted as saying on Sunday. “Then people say, ‘OK now we need her to be padded up and put numbers surrounding her.’ She’s evolving, and I see that she is adapting. She’s always been so good at one-on-one but what we saw was just her evolving her game. [Sunday] She is special. She knows when to stop and when to go for it. She’s growing.”
She clarified that the next evolution in Smith’s game would be her leadership. Not through rah rah pregame speech or wearing the captain’s band, but rather by leading by example. Her outstanding play has brought her to the forefront of the spotlight, which she would rather avoid. LeBlanc described Smith, a “humbled superstar” who perfectly aligns Portland’s values.
Smith is now ready to be a complete player, both for her club and her country.
Smith said: “I don’t believe that anyone is perfect and no player has ever achieved their full potential. So I think I want to grow more into a leadership role within this team.” “I’d like to be a leader who gets everyone on the team involved in games.” I think being less egocentric and bringing in my teammates is a major thing for me.
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