MELBOURNE, Australia – All Sophia Smith had to do was hammer home her penalty kick. One goal and the United States would win and move on to the World Cup quarterfinals.
U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher had just made a terrific diving save. Now it was Smith’s turn at the spot. The pressure was at its highest.
Sure, the 22-year-old was playing in her first major tournament for the U.S. women’s national team, but she has a rare, supreme confidence. She doesn’t get nervous very often and is an ice-in-your-veins kind of athlete. Of the American’s four goals in this 2023 tournament, Smith had scored half of them thanks to her brace in the opening match against Vietnam.
This was the moment the soccer world was waiting for after Smith had been anointed the new face of the U.S. national team well before the World Cup began.
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She was in commercials. On the covers of magazines. All completely warranted, too, coming off a magical NWSL season in which she became the youngest MVP in league history.
Smith set herself up for the PK, went for it … and the ball soared over the top right corner of the goalpost.
A few moments later, Kelley O’Hara also missed, Sweden made a couple, and the final whistle blew ending Sunday’s match. The U.S. had lost and would not advance to the quarterfinal.
[How USA’s fate was sealed by goal-line technology]
USWNT nearly converts on two shot attempts by Lynn Williams and Sophia Smith in extra time
Smith buried her face in her hands. Co-captain Lindsey Horan, who has mentored Smith since they were kids growing up and playing for the same club in Colorado, ran over to her.
“I just told her the best players in the world miss PKs,” said Horan, who failed to convert a crucial PK recently for Lyon in a Champions League match. “Everyone misses. It sucks. It absolutely sucks.
“But you’ve gotta remember this is part of football. You get back up. And it’s gonna hurt. It’s gonna hurt forever. I think the one I missed versus Chelsea [in Champions League] hurt until the one [I made] tonight. It is what it is.”
Carli Lloyd knows exactly how Smith feels, too. The USWNT legend missed a PK during the 2011 World Cup final shootout when the team lost to Japan and reminded Smith of that in an Instagram message.
“I felt like a failure, I felt like I let my country down, my teammates down,” Lloyd said.
But a short four years later, Lloyd got another opportunity and made quite a few critical PKs in the 2015 World Cup, including in the round of 16 win over Colombia and in the dramatic semifinal win over Germany. Then she went on to have her superhero moment in the final and scored a hat trick.
“I want you to know that your future is bright, that you’re going to keep going, you’re going to keep shining, and you’re going to keep doing amazing,” Lloyd continued. “So don’t stop. You can be upset for a quick second, but know that you have a bright future.”
Smith knows that. After not speaking with reporters after the game, she broke her silence Wednesday on Instagram with a photo of herself after she missed.
“Heartbroken,” Smith wrote. “This World Cup was filled with just about every emotion possible, what I’ve learned is more valuable than any experience I’ve ever had. Thank you to those who believed and supported us throughout the tournament, and most importantly, to those who still do and never stopped. It wouldn’t be life without moments like this, and I know without a doubt we will be back and hungrier than ever.”
Were expectations for Smith unfair? She is just 22 and was playing in her first World Cup for the two-time defending champions and tournament favorite. That’s a lot to put on her. She would probably challenge that notion and say she welcomed the pressure and everything that comes with it.
Smith started the World Cup off hot, looking like she was going to live up to the pre-tournament hype. She scored two goals in the USWNT’s 3-0 win over Vietnam and was named Player of the Match. But then she trailed off and was not as much of a factor in the other three matches. In the USWNT’s 0-0 draw against Portugal, she was never first to the ball, kept slipping on the turf, got a yellow card and was eventually subbed out of the game in the 61st minute. She was more dangerous against Sweden, but couldn’t put anything in the back of the net – even when she was moved to center forward, the position she plays for the Portland Thorns, in extra time.
When it comes to PKs, though, even the most clutch players can be unlucky. Mia Hamm missed one in the 2003 World Cup. Lionel Messi missed one in 2018. It’s always a 50-50 chance.
Smith will be OK. Despite the USWNT’s early exit, Smith and the rest of the under-30 stars will be back next summer for the Paris Olympics and then at the 2027 World Cup, which could be on U.S. soil.
[‘The kids are taking over’: Young stars provide a solid foundation for USWNT]
Even if her hero moment didn’t come this summer, there is still time. Lots of it. And it’s clear that everybody thinks so.
“Soph will get through it,” Horan said. “She’s strong. She’s strong-willed. And she’s one of the best players in the world right now and at her age, she’s going to be perfectly fine.”
United States’ Sophia Smith on overcoming adversity to make it to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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