The soccer world is buzzing as the 10th edition of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup is about to kick off, but the latest roster drop has left fans doing a double take. While plenty of exciting names made the cut, some major stars are missing—including the electric trio known as Triple Espresso (Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Wilson) and defensive powerhouse Naomi Girma. Naturally, the question on everyone’s mind is—why?

Turns out Sophia Wilson isn’t quite physically ready to hit the pitch just yet, and Girma? She is still recovering from a calf problem that she has been nursing for some time now. The timing could not be more awkward for the newly signed Chelsea FC defender who has become the first female player to be the subject of a one-million-transfer deal. But in the middle of all this, USWNT’s Sophia Wilson can not help but feel a bit worried after seeing Naomi Girma’s latest update while she is out of the SheBelieves Cup.

Naomi Girma’s bestie gets worried!

Naomi Girma took to Instagram on February 12, posting a little update with a series of photos of her adjusting to her European life with the caption: “settling in ✨.” The post included grind mode at Chelsea’s training camp, some latte and food goals, stunning sunset in orange hues, and a picture with her brother, Nathaniel. She also posted some photos with teammates, with her peer at Chelsea, Catarina Macario. It’s just a little peek into her fresh chapter in London, right?

But hold up—one comment had people doing a double take! Sophia Wilson slid slyly into the replies with a playful-yet-low-key-sad message, saying, “but not like too settled bc you’re so far away from your best friend right.” Oof. Looks like someone’s feeling the long-distance bestie blues!

While Naomi Girma might be miles away from Sophia, she’s not totally without her crew—Catarina Macario is holding it down in Chelsea. And of course, Cat had to drop a little love on Naomi’s post, hyping her up with, “a chelsea/london dump from you just hits different 😮‍💨🔥😍 still can’t believe it 🤣.” But let’s be real—Naomi and Sophia’s friendship is on another plane. This isn’t the first time Sophia’s felt this way, balancing proud bestie energy with a touch of heartbreak.

Sophia Wilson caught up in a bittersweet moment!

This saga had its inception as far back as in 2018, when a bond like no other was formed. That year, Stanford received two promising soccer talents—Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith. From the moment they stepped on campus, they weren’t just teammates; they were kindred spirits, destined for greatness. Both joined Stanford the same year, instantly becoming roommates, besties, and partners in crime on the soccer field. Their chemistry helped the Cardinals clinch the 2019 NCAA Championship; Naomi also collected two Pac-12 crowns.

Sophia, however, was so good that she dropped out early and was selected as the first overall pick in the 2020 NWSL draft to the Portland Thorns. Two years later, Naomi followed suit for San Diego Wave, becoming the first overall pick in history. By 2023, both were wearing the USWNT jersey and were all set to take on the world. The FIFA dream may have been short-lived, but they bounced back in Paris 2024, leading the squad to Olympic gold.

Given such a history, it was not surprising that Sophia was affected by Naomi transferring to Chelsea. As the whole world was excited to witness the transfer of Naomi to the Women’s Super League for $1.1M, Sophia was struggling to come to terms with the fact that her best friend moved to another country across the world. She stayed true to herself on the Instagram and reposting Naomi’s big news with the message that reflected the two emotions that one can have when feeling proud of somebody but heartbroken for their absence: “Now that I have had a minute to forgive you for leaving me.. I love you nay nay. So proud of you.” Safe to say, the bffs are in for an endurance test of their LDF (Long Distant Friendship).