United States women’s national team forward Sophia Smith has signed a new contract with the Portland Thorns that ties her to Portland through the 2025 season, with an option to extend the contract through 2026, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced Wednesday.
Smith’s new deal makes her the highest-paid player annually in the NWSL, the team told ESPN. Sources later confirmed that information to ESPN.
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The record for the highest-paying cumulative contract in NWSL history was set on multiple occasions this past offseason.
Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multiyear deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. Smith signed a shorter-term deal but will be paid higher annually, the Thorns said, although general manager Karina LeBlanc declined to share specific numbers.
“There is no place like Portland,” Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. “I don’t believe there’s an environment like Portland to play in and it’s a city that’s so special to me and a city that I feel like I’ve grown up in almost and become who I am.”
Smith, 23, was the No. 1 overall pick by the…
