Sophia Wilson says she'll be ready for the NWSL season after the birth of her daughter

Audio By Carbonatix

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sophia Wilson plans to be back for the Portland Thorns' National Women's Soccer League season opener after spending last season on maternity leave.

Wilson, speaking at an NWSL event on Thursday in Los Angeles, also hopes to play in the upcoming SheBelieves Cup in early March with the U.S. national team. The Thorns open the NWSL season on March 13 on the road against the Washington Spirit.

“I will be ready for opening day. I hope to get small minutes in SheBelieves, just to get back into it. I miss the team and I hate not being in camp. So hoping that I get to be in camp with the girls and get some minutes there, and then be ready opening day,” Wilson said.

Wilson gave birth to daughter Gianna last September. Formerly Sophia Smith, she is married to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson.

The 25-year-old forward was on the national team that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Fans dubbed the front line of Wilson, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson “Triple Espresso.”

Also on the 2023 Women’s World Cup squad, Wilson has played in 58 games with the national team, scoring 24 goals. She was named U.S. Soccer women’s Player of the Year in 2022 and Young Player of the Year in 2017.

“I spent a year off and learned a lot about myself and who I am when I am not playing,” Wilson said. “I think that was good for me but I’m excited to be back because I am a soccer player and it’s what I love to do, so I have a fresh new energy coming in this year.”

Wilson joined the Thorns for training camp this past week in Santa Barbara, California. Gianna accompanied her to watch the United States beat Chile 5-0 on Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara.

In five seasons with the Thorns, Wilson has scored 44 goals across all competitions. She was named the NWSL’s MVP in 2022 after helping Portland win the championship. She won the Golden Boot in 2023, when she led the league with 11 goals.

A Colorado native, Wilson was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NWSL draft out of Stanford, where she helped the Cardinal win the 2019 College Cup title.

Wilson exercised the player option of her contract to spend an additional club season in Portland in December.

The United States hosts Canada, Argentina and Colombia in the SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off March 1. The round-robin tournament will be played as doubleheaders in three cities: Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; and Harrison, New Jersey.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer