The Canadian national women’s soccer team kicks off its 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign on June 10 against Cameroon. TSN will profile Canada’s 23 players in the 23 days leading up to their tournament opener.

 

SOPHIE SCHMIDT

Age: 30

Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Houston Dash (NWSL)

 

Sophie Schmidt is one of the most experienced players on Canada.  Her 184 caps are second only to Christine Sinclair on the current roster. She has been with the national team for more than 14 years, and is a veteran of three World Cups and three Olympics.

Schmidt made her first foray into the Canadian program as a 14-year-old when she was brought into Under-16 camp in 2003. After several invites to Under-17 camp, Schmidt made her debut for Canada at the youth level at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship, where she played every minute for her country.

Schmidt earned her first cap with the senior team as a 16-year-old on Apr. 19, 2005, starting in a friendly against the Netherlands. Just over a week later, she scored her first international goal in a 2-0 win over France. Schmidt started in all 10 of Canada’s games in 2005. 

The following year, while still making regular starts for the senior team, Schmidt captained Canada’s Under-20 squad at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. She then made her senior-level Women’s World Cup debut in 2007. While Canada just missed advancing to the knockout round, Schmidt did score against Ghana in the group stage and was later named Canadian U-20 Player of the year for 2007. In 2008, she made her Olympic debut, featuring in all four of Canada’s games.

Schmidt played every minute for Canada at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but the Canadians lost all three of their games and finished last. Later that year, Schmidt played in all five of Canada’s matches at the 2011 Pan American Games en route to winning gold.

Schmidt was a prominent figure for her country at the 2012 London Olympics. She set up two goals off corner kicks in the knockout round: Jonelle Filigno’s opening tally in the quarter-final against Great Britain, and Sinclair’s hat-trick goal versus the Americans in the semi-final. Schmidt started every one of Canada’s six games to help the team earn bronze.

Schmidt made 76 consecutive appearances for the national team from 2011 to 2015. She earned her 100th cap for the Canadians on Mar. 6, 2013, also picking up a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Switzerland at the Cyprus Cup.

Schmidt once again started every game for Canada at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, but she suffered a hip injury against the Netherlands during the group stage, which she admitted affected her play. She earned her second bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, featuring in all six of Canada’s games, and scored the lone goal in the Canadians’ 1-0 win over France in the quarter-final.

The native of Abbotsford, B.C. played for three seasons at the University of Portland, missing 2006 due to her national team commitments. Featuring mainly as a forward, she is seventh all-time in school history with 111 points. Schmidt has played for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Sky Blue FC, and clubs in Sweden and Germany before returning to the NWSL this season as part of the Houston Dash.

While Schmidt is more than capable of scoring world-class goals, her game has never been overly flashy. She is a consistent two-way player who does the simple things very well, and excels at winning the ball and finding her teammates. Primarily a midfielder, Schmidt has spent time filling in at centre back earlier this year.