PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Sophia Wilson played in her first match for the Portland Thorns on Friday night since taking maternity leave last season for the birth of her daughter.
Wilson, who won a gold medal for the United States at the Paris Olympics, came in as a substitute in the 75th minute of Portland's preseason match against Liga MX club Monterrey.
The Thorns defeated Monterrey 5-1. Wilson came close to scoring in the 86th minute, but her shot when just wide.
“I feel good. I mean, I'm obviously being very patient with myself. I think coming back from pregnancy is a very different thing than coming back from an injury and I think I’m giving myself grace because of that,” Wilson said. “But I feel really good. I’ve just been so eager to get my first game in. So I feel like I’ve checked that box. I felt good. And, obviously, I’m so glad it was here in front of our fans.”
Portland opens the National Women's Soccer League season on March 13 on the road against the Washington Spirit.
Wilson was formally removed from maternity leave and placed on the active roster on Thursday. Formerly Sophia Smith, she is married to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson. The couple welcomed daughter Gianna in September.
The 25-year-old forward was part of a trio with Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson dubbed “Triple Espresso” at the Paris Games.
Also on the 2023 Women’s World Cup squad, Wilson has played in 58 games with 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.
In five seasons with the Thorns, Wilson has scored 44 goals across all competitions. She was named the NWSL’s MVP in 2022 after helping Portland win the championship. She won the Golden Boot in 2023, when she led the league with 11 goals.
A Colorado native, Wilson was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NWSL draft out of Stanford, where she helped the Cardinal win the 2019 College Cup title.
Wilson exercised the player option of her contract to spend an additional club season in Portland in December.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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