Sophia Wilson played in a match for the first time in more than a year on Friday night, when she came into the Portland Thorns’ preseason match against Monterrey in the 75th minute.
Here’s the moment. While it wasn’t the usual packed house for a regular-season game, the crowd roared. Yep, she’s THAT girl.
Wilson, of course, took off all of last season for the birth of her daughter Gianna with husband Michael Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals.
Wilson was clearly animated in her return and nearly scored in the 86th minute. While it will no doubt take a while for her to go a full 90, she looked to be her speedy self.
Wilson, who was removed from the SEI list the day before the match, spoke afterward about her return.
“I feel good. I mean, I’m obviously being very patient with myself. I think coming back from pregnancy is a very different thing than coming back from an injury and I think I’m giving myself grace because of that,” Wilson said. “But I feel really good. I’ve just been so eager to get my first game in. So I feel like I’ve checked that box. I felt good. And, obviously, I’m so glad it was here in front of our fans.”
There’s been some turbulence surrounding the Thorns, with the departure of Sam Coffey, the loss of team mom Bella Bixby and the late appointment of coach Robert Vilahamn, but the return of Wilson gives supporters hope for the upcoming NWSL season.
“I feel like the vibe has been good,” Wilson said. “We were just talking in our last huddle that we’ve had maybe 30 new faces in and out of the team over the last few months. It’s hard to keep a high level and high standard when there are so many new teammates. But I give credit to every single person who has come into this environment and just put their head down and gone to work. This environment pushes you every day.”
Interim coach Sarah Lowdon’s postgame comments also struck a hopeful note.
“The sky’s the limit for this group,” Lowdon said. “The roster isn’t built by accident. We have strong connections inside the locker room and a great foundation from last year and previous seasons. With a young group, it’s exciting because they’re eager to learn and grow. When you have a group that’s bought in and cohesive, that becomes the first principle before any tactics.”
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It starts this Friday for the Thorns, who visit the Washington Spirit in the regular season opener. That match will likely showcase two-thirds of Triple Espresso, with Wilson and Trinity Rodman playing on opposite sides. Mal Swanson, the other third, should be back for Chicago later this season.
It’s a boon for the NWSL that all three will be playing this season in the league, while some of the game’s other stars have headed overseas.
It’s also good for the U.S. national team, who face World Cup qualifying at the CONCACAF W Championship starting in November.
With Smith and Swanson on maternity last season, and Rodman healing from nagging injuries, the USWNT has been able to build up its attacking depth.
It was on display Saturday in the SheBelieves Cup finale against Colombia in New Jersey, with Alyssa Thompson scoring a sublime goal in a 1-0 victory. Thompson’s not the only one who adds to the offense, there’s also Ally Sentnor, who is in fantastic form, along with Emma Sears and Jaedyn Shaw.
“If we think about the Olympics, we’d talk about a team that was really resilient and difficult to beat and Triple Espresso,” coach Emma Hayes said. “Now, we talk about all the other players in addition to that.”
Here’s the post-game press conference from Friday night.
LINKS:
WAFCON pushed back to the summer, two weeks before it was supposed to start
Marc Lasry buys a stake in the North Carolina Courage
Columbus mayor urges fight for NWSL expansion team
Abigail Segel for Deflector on the league’s big offseason moves
Feature on the Summit’s Kaleigh Kurtz
Sydney Leroux is teasing a comeback
Angel City leads Sportico’s team valuations, again.
Gabi Portilho traded from Gotham to the Wave
Iran women face the prospect of returning home after Asian Cup
There’s fears the team may face execution
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