In The Journey to the Cup, The Athletic follows six players as they work towards a place in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Follow along as we check in with them each month in the build-up to the tournament, tracking their progress as they prepare both mentally and physically for a chance to shine on the game’s biggest stage.
Sam Coffey isn’t assuming anything.
She’d have a right to, after her 2022: A finalist for NWSL rookie of the year, her first USWNT call-up, her first USWNT cap, a NWSL championship win with the Portland Thorns — all following her shift to the No. 6 position after a NCAA career with Boston College and Penn State mostly playing as an attacking midfielder.
Coffey got the first call from USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski while standing next to a McDonald’s in the Portland airport (she documented the exact spot to help preserve the surreality of the moment), calling her up for two friendlies before the summer’s W Championship tournament as part of a 26-player training roster. She ended up in Mexico though, shoring up the team’s midfield as an injury replacement ahead after the group stage. Her first cap finally came in Washington, D.C. in a win against Nigeria on September 6; Coffey started and played all 90 minutes. In doing so, she became the…
