SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 03: Sophia Smith #9 and Crystal Dunn #19 of Portland Thorns FC look on against the OL Reign during the first half at Lumen Field on June 03, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland Thorns players Crystal Dunn and Sophia Smith were locks to make the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the World Cup, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t thrilling when they got the news on Wednesday.
“It really feels like you’re getting your first ever call,” said Dunn. “The anticipation is the hardest part. You’re waiting for the call, you’re waiting for the call, and then when the call happens you feel like your shoulders just can kind of go down two notches, and you feel like this feeling of relief.”
“It was surreal,” added Smith. “You have a lot of emotions going into a World Cup cycle and especially the days leading up to when you know the calls are going out, you start to think about every possible scenario. To get the call was exciting, reassuring, and it made everything feel really, really real.”
Smith — a first-time selection for the USWNT’s World Cup team — isn’t satisfied though.
“I haven’t checked off anything yet,” said Smith. “I think going there, performing, winning, that’s checking off a box to me. I think making the roster is a great thing, and it’s exciting and should be celebrated, but it’s the expectation I have for myself. Checking a box would be to win another World Cup.”
This will be Dunn’s second World Cup. This time around she’ll be asked to be a leader on the squad, and she’s already dishing out advice.
“It is wild and crazy. People think that we are the U.S. Women’s National Team, and we step into every tournament, and we just automatically win it,” said Dunn. “I tell the young ones all the time that it is hard work. Teams want to beat us. They want to throw their best tactic at us. I think, for especially young players that are accustomed to success and they know that being on this team has led to championships, I’m there to remind them that it is not easy.”
Dunn will certainly be there to remind Smith of that, to which she is very grateful.
“It’s awesome. She’s like my big sister. To go through this together, she’s been so helpful in just guiding me and showing me the ropes, telling me how it is — the good and the bad — which I appreciate. I just love her so much,” said Smith.