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Portland, Ore. (AP) – Sophia Smith had options but ultimately felt her work “wasn’t done” in Portland.
The Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a contract extension through 2025 with a player option for 2026. Portland says the deal gives the 23-year-old forward the highest annual salary in the National Women’s Soccer League, but would not disclose terms.
She said, “I felt so welcomed, so loved and so trusted and I felt like I didn’t get here. And there are still things I want to do with this team and this club and the trophies. I want to work with those I want to win.” Said. “And with the new ownership coming in, I already feel this club is going in the right direction.”
The Thorns were sold in January to the Bhathal family, which is also part of the ownership group of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
Smith is beginning his fifth season with the Thorns. She was the NWSL Most Valuable Player and US Soccer Player of the Year in 2022. She was also the NWSL Championship Game MVP that year. He was set to become a free agent after this season and had shown some interest in him from European clubs.
“This is a new era for us and the Bhatal family have been very clear about their vision for this club. And we are all connected to that perspective. And one of the main ingredients was to make sure Sophia Smith was here,” said general manager Karina LeBlanc. “For her, this is a place she always wanted to be. As for her signing this contract, I think we’re eight months ahead of when she could actually execute it. She’s like, ‘I just wanted to get the season going and I just wanted this to be done.'”
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Smith was the top pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft after helping lead Stanford to victory over North Carolina in the 2019 NCAA College Cup Championship. She scored three goals in the Cardinal’s semifinal victory over UCLA and was named the College Cup’s Most Valuable Player.
He has scored 40 goals in all competitions with the Thorns, and his 11 goals in 17 matches last season earned him the league’s Golden Boot award.
Smith, a regular member of the U.S. national team, played in the Women’s World Cup last summer. He has scored 16 goals in 44 games since his American debut in 2020.
Smith said she wants to take a bigger leadership role on the Thorns.
“I don’t believe that anyone is perfect or that any player has ever reached his full potential. So I think I want to take more of a leadership role on this team. I want to be a player that brings everyone around me into sports,” she said. “I think that’s a big thing for me, being less personal and bringing my teammates to games, no matter what that looks like, and really making this team something special and contributing to it in any way I can.”
Smith credited the new ownership with making him more comfortable. The team was put up for sale at the end of 2022 after a misconduct scandal involving the Thorns’ former coach rocked the league.
“I’m just looking for some stability and some reassurance that this club is going in the right direction and the incoming Bhatal family is doing just as well, if not more,” she said. He added, “Their vision for this club is very exciting. You can just tell how passionate they are to make it what it should be, and to continue to raise the standard in women’s football globally, And the Portland Thorns have to be the center of it any way they can.
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