No.9 is one of the toughest positions to play in soccer. There’s constant pressure to deliver, and no matter how poorly the team plays, the no.9’s contributions can pretty much change the outcome of the match. Alex Morgan knows all too well about the pressure of playing up front, and she believes she has found the next No. 9 for the USWNT. 

Yes, it’s Sophia Smith, who Morgan believes mirrors a bit of herself from her playing days. For the 224 appearances that she’s made for Stars and Stripes, Alex Morgan has scored 123 goals, placing her 5th on the list of all-time goal scorers for the country. With the form Sophia Smith is in, we could see the Portland Thorns forward joining the list of greats in just a few years. 

While the triple espresso is the biggest threat right now, Morgan says she relates the most to Smith. “She does what she needs to do … I feel like Soph is a little bit ruthless in terms of how she plays, but she does it super gracefully, and she’s pretty fun with it,” Alex Morgan tells ‘Today’. “So, I could see a little bit of myself in Soph.”

And we understand why. Alex Morgan won the inaugural NWSL league title with Portland Thorns in 2013. So seeing a young Sophia Smith already rack up impressive numbers for the team, one that holds special memories for Morgan, she can’t help but see a bit of herself in Smith. 

As for Sophia Smith, she teamed up with the likes of Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson to win Olympic gold at Paris 2024. The trio scored 10 of the team’s 12 goals and remain undefeated since Emma Hayes took charge. There’s even been talk that one of them could end the Ballon d’Or drought for the United States.

Ex-USWNT legend backs Sophia Smith as future Ballon d’Or Winner

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Mia Hamm, the two-time World Cup winner and Gold medalist picked Sophia Smith as the one to break the USWNT’s Ballon d’Or drought. “It’s hard to say, I’d probably say Sophia if someone said pick one right now,” said Hamm, when asked who from the triple espresso could win the award. 

Sophia Smith finished 4th in this year’s Ballon d’Or Féminin, ahead of her USWNT teammates. The forward was also this season’s top-scoring American in the NWSL, getting 12 goals in 19 games. So far, she has made 74 appearances for Portland Thorns, racking up an impressive 44 goals. 

From being named NWSL MVP to US Soccer Female Player of the Year, at 24 years old, she’s nearing her prime and will be one of the key players in the 2027 World Cup. Given the start Emma Hayes has had with the squad, it wouldn’t be surprising if Smith manages to build a trophy cabinet like Alex Morgan’s, or perhaps even better.