Although Sophia Smith, a forward for the United States women’s national team, has never competed in an Olympics, she hopes to leave her mark in Paris in 2024. However, her actions during a recent game have gotten her into some problems.
On Saturday night, Sophia Smith received a red card in a bizarre manner as the Portland Thorns defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0. Smith received two yellow cards for time wastage in her first red card of the season, the second of which was issued in an amusing moment.
At Providence Park, the star of the U.S. women’s national team had given her team the lead with a penalty kick in the 79th minute. Smith was shown a yellow card in the 89th minute for kicking the ball away when play had been stopped, with Portland managing to hang on to a late 1-0 lead. Smith was taken out of the game by Thorns head coach Rob Gale well into stoppage time, but things only got stranger from there.
Smith snatched up a ball that had been out of play on the sideline and tried to hide beneath the bench. With a sly smile on her lips, the forward attempted the soccer equivalent of the hidden ball trick, demonstrating her obvious skill.
Referee Danielle Chesky was not amused by Sophia Smith’s antics and gave her a second yellow card.
The Portland Reign defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0. However, Smith will now be suspended for the derby against the Seattle Reign the following week. The Thorns may also be without midfielder Sam Coffey, who was forced off the pitch early on Saturday due to an injury, in addition to Smith (pending appeal).
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USWNT’s Sophia Smith Speaks On Debut At 2024 Olympics
The Paris Games will be Smith’s first time competing in the Olympics.
Sophia Smith, the star of the US women’s national team, didn’t always have an easy time developing into the proficient player she is now. This can be attributed to her allowing external stimuli to affect her.
“Everyone’s not going to be happy with you all the time,” Smith said in an interview with NBC. “People aren’t going to like you. If someone said something about my game, like ‘She’s not good at this,’ it would obviously take a toll on my confidence.
“Then you get to the game … now I’m stressed when I have to finish because I want to prove people wrong.”
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