Portland Thorns Forward Sophia Smith Named Finalist for 2024 NWSL Most Valuable Player

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Portland Thorns Forward Sophia Smith Named Finalist for 2024 NWSL Most Valuable Player

November 12, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Portland Thorns FC News Release


PORTLAND, Oregon - Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith has been named a finalist for the 2024 National Women's Soccer League Most Valuable Player award, marking the third consecutive season she has been named to the shortlist.

Fan voting for the award will be open until Friday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m. PT. Fans can vote now, linked here.

Smith previously won the award in 2022, making her the youngest Most Valuable Player in NWSL history. Additionally, she was named the Golden Boot award winner following the 2023 season. With her nomination for Most Valuable Player in the 2024 season, Smith seeks to win a third consecutive league award and become just the second player in league history to earn a second MVP title.

Despite missing matches this season due to injury, Smith finished the 2024 regular season with the third most goals scored in the NWSL, netting 12 goals in 20 matches, surpassing her 2023 Golden Boot record. Additionally, her six assists are tied for the third most in the league, giving her a combined 18 goal contributions this year.

The Portland Thorns recorded a 6-3-1 record in games Smith contributed to a goal. Five of Smith's matches had multiple goal contributions, including two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over Bay FC, as well as three assists and a goal in the 4-0 victory over Seattle Reign. The two goals against Bay FC marked her 10th multiple-goal game, the third most in league history

This year Smith became just the third player in league history to record three 15 plus goal contribution seasons, joining Sam Kerr and Lynn Williams. She also became the fifth player in league history to score more than 10 goals from outside the 18-yard-box.

Smith made history during the team's six-game win streak, recording six goals and five assists across five matches, setting a record for the most goal contributions in a five-match period. And on April 20, after adding a goal and an assist in the 4-1 win over Houston Dash, Smith became the youngest player in league history to record 50 goal contributions, doing so at 23 years and 254 days old.

The final round of voting uses a weighted scale of players (40%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%). Award winners will be announced in the days surrounding the 2024 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel. The match, set for Saturday, November 23, kicks off at 8 p.m. ET at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri and will air live on CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+.

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