Sophia Wilson says motherhood has helped her develop a “goldfish mentality” of living in the moment.
Wilson was nominated by USA National Team Roster for the next three games against Japan starting April 11 in San Jose, California. She took a break from soccer to give birth to her daughter and has not played for the United States in 17 months.
“I feel like my outlook on life in general has changed a lot, in a good way,” Wilson said Thursday. “I feel more grounded, I feel more present. And I think that’s how I approach the game as well. I’ve always thought that, but I’m trying to approach the game with more of a goldfish mentality than ever before. Just being present in every practice, every game, and then you move on to the next game.”
Wilson gave birth to daughter Gianna last September. The former Sophia Smith is married to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson.
The 25-year-old forward was on the national team. Win gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fans dubbed the front line of Wilson, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson the “Triple Espresso.”
she also she came back After taking maternity leave last season, she will take on a starting role with her club team, the Portland Thorns, this season.
“I watched her play 70 minutes the other day and it just seemed unbelievable for her to have a child and then come back to perform at the level she’s been at,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “A huge credit to her and the team around her for navigating our pre- and post-pregnancy planning in such an amazing way.”
Wilson made his way home, giving himself some grace.
“I know it’s not just a straight path to get back to playing at a high level. It’s not going to happen by snapping your fingers,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of work that went on and is going on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see. And for me, I think it’s about being kind to myself and approaching this work with the perspective of looking at what my body has done for me and what it continues to do for me, and knowing that it’s very possible to be great at both things, to be a great mom, to be a great athlete.”
Wilson has played in 58 games for 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.
She will be a key member of the team as they prepare for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Preliminaries will begin in late November.
“We definitely feel like this is the right time, not just because she’s playing at a high level again, but I think it’s really important to start getting players like Soph back into rhythm in preparation for World Cup qualifying,” Hayes said. “So I can’t wait to have her and Gigi. I know it’s going to be a big fuss about them. I know I’m definitely going to steal Gigi a few times.”
Wilson had role models he looked to for advice, including Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and Thorns goaltender Bella Bixby. She becomes the 18th mother to play on the U.S. national team. Eight moms scored.
“I feel like I’m in a really great place right now. I think this journey has taken me in the right direction,” Wilson said. “I’ve had so much support, so much help, and I’ve never felt pressured in any way. I think this is also something really special, because there are obviously a lot of reasons why someone would want to come back right away. But I’ve never felt pressured in any way. And I feel like I’m in a really great place and have carefully balanced everything because I’ve seen people before me do the same thing.”
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