The NWSL phase following the Olympic triumph hasn’t been particularly favorable for the beloved ‘Triple Espresso.’ Both stars, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, encountered some significant injuries. Although Emma Hayes has decided to rest Trinity Rodman by not including her in the upcoming friendly tour, the 24-year-old has made a comeback, though concerns about her injury still linger.

For those unaware, Smith dealt with a severe ankle injury that sidelined her for a time. Nevertheless, she returned recently during Portland Thorns’ match against Racing Louisville FC, appearing as a substitute for the last 30 minutes. While we have heard updates on her injury from Emma Hayes and Rob Gale, the USWNT star has finally given some insights ahead of the Iceland clash.

She mentioned that things could have turned out much worse regarding her injury. In her words, “It’s been go, go, go for a while now for me, so I felt like I needed to address it before it got worse.” Fortunately, it seems she’s avoided major setbacks and felt significantly better after her recovery.

Sophia Smith stated, “But I’ve been feeling good. I’ve been doing a lot of work in Portland with our medical staff, who’s great. I haven’t been in games, but I’ve been working hard and staying ready.” However, despite this progress, The Portland Thorns forward isn’t quite ready to play full minutes yet. Regarding her main goal for the upcoming friendlies, accumulating as many playing minutes as possible remains a priority.

She expressed optimism, saying, “I’m feeling good now, just building minutes.” Adding further context, she remarked, “Obviously, we have three games in this window and then I go back, have a game very early with Portland. It’s just kind of building minutes, getting my feet back underneath me and feeling good again.”

It’s undeniably uplifting to witness Sophia Smith returning to the field after facing challenges. While Trinity Rodman remains sidelined, seeing two-thirds of ‘Triple Espresso’ play will surely be thrilling. With all these talks of ‘Triple Espresso’, have you ever been curious about the origin of the term ‘Triple Espresso’? Let’s hear from Sophia Smith about how this nickname came to be.

Sophia Smith reveals the origin story behind ‘Triple Espresso’

In a previous interview with CBS Sports, Sophia Smith shared an intriguing tale behind their moniker. It all started at the Olympics when Trinity Rodman’s sister coined the phrase. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how ‘Triple Espresso’ was born, according to the USWNT star.

She remarked, “I don’t know if she heard it somewhere or if she came up with it, we have to figure that out, but Trin said it to me, and I was like, ‘wait, I kind of like that.’ And she’s like, ‘I know me too.’ It just felt fitting for us.”

However, Smith also mentioned her initial uncertainty regarding Mallory Swanson’s feelings about the nickname. “But she has no choice now because it’s what it is,” Sophie noted, concerning Mallory Swanson, who appears to have fully embraced the nickname as well.