Sophie Schmidt

Sophie Schmidt

Schmidt with the Houston Dash in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Sophie Diana Schmidt [1]
Date of birth	(1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 35)
Place of birth	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) [1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Houston Dash
Number	13
Youth career
	Abbotsford Rush
	Vancouver Whitecaps
	Surrey United SC
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2010	Portland Pilots	57	(33)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2010	Vancouver Whitecaps	39	(6)
2011	MagicJack	11	(1)
2012	Kristianstads DFF	6	(0)
2013–2014	Sky Blue FC	41	(8)
2015–2018	FFC Frankfurt	52	(6)
2019–	Houston Dash	83	(6)
International career‡
2004	Canada U19	4	(0)
2006–2008	Canada U20	12	(2)
2005–2023	Canada	226	(20)
Medal record Women's football Representing   Canada Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team 2012 London Team 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team CONCACAF W Championship 2010 Mexico 2018 United States Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:13, April 21, 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of December 5, 2023

Sophie Diana Schmidt (born 28 June 1988) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for National Women's Soccer League club Houston Dash. From 2005 until retiring from international football in 2023, she was a member of the Canadian national team, with whom she won an Olympic gold medal in 2020 and bronze in both 2012 and 2016. She previously played her club soccer for German club FFC Frankfurt and Sky Blue FC in the NWSL.

Early life

Schmidt was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Elmer and Cornelia Schmidt. Her parents immigrated to Canada from Paraguay before she was born, ^[2] while her grandparents were originally from Germany. She speaks German fluently and studied German in Portland. ^[3] She attended W. J. Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia and played for the Abbotsford Rush club team in 2004. ^[4] She grew up in a Mennonite community and has described her faith as the most important thing to her. ^[5]

College career

Schmidt attended the University of Portland and played for the Portland Pilots from 2007 to 2009. She did not play during the 2006 season due to her Canadian national team commitments. ^[4]

As a second-year student, Schmidt played forward for the Pilots despite having never played the position at a competitive level. She finished the season with seven goals and seven assists in 14 games. Schmidt was fourth in the West Coast Conference in total points (21), sixth in goals and third in assists. She scored the lone goal in a 1–0 NCAA second round win at Colorado. ^[4] In 2009, Schmidt finished the season tied for first on the team with 12 assists and third on the team with 12 goals. She was named to the Soccer America MVP Team (All-America) First Team, NSCAA First Team All-American, NSCAA All-West Region First Team, and ll-WCC First Team. She ranked ninth in school history for career points per game (1.60) and assists per game (0.46) and tenth in Pilots' history in goals (33) and goals per game (0.58) in 57 matches. ^[4]

Club career

Early career

Schmidt played for the Vancouver Whitecaps from 2005 to 2006, alongside former Pilots Christine Sinclair and Tiffeny Milbrett. She appeared and started in eight games for the Whitecaps, recording three assists. ^[4] In 2011, she played for magicJack in the WPS, ^[6] followed by a short-term contract with Kristianstads DFF in 2012. ^{[7] [8]}

Schmidt playing for Sky Blue FC, 2013

Sky Blue FC

On 11 January 2013, she joined Sky Blue FC in the new National Women's Soccer League, Schmidt played two seasons with Sky Blue, making 42 appearances and scoring 8 goals.

FFC Frankfurt

Schmidt signed a one-year deal for German club 1. FFC Frankfurt of the Bundesliga on 31 July 2015. ^[9] Schmidt left 1. FFC Frankfurt following the 2017–2018 Bundesliga season. ^[10]

Houston Dash

After three seasons with Frankfurt, Schmidt would sign with NWSL club Houston Dash in 2019. ^[11] During the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final, she would score a penalty, helping the Dash defeat the Chicago Red Stars for the club's first major trophy. ^[12] In December 2020, she would re-sign with the Dash through the 2022 season, with the Dash having an option for the 2023 season. ^[13]

International career

Schmidt has represented Canada at both the U-17 and U-20 level, and captained Canada at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia. She made her senior debut against Netherlands on 19 April 2005. ^[4]

In her first World Cup she scored against Ghana on 15 September 2007. She subsequently started all four Olympic matches at Beijing 2008, and played at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. ^[4] Schmidt and her team won a 2011 Pan American Games gold medal. ^[14]

On 28 February 2012, Schmidt made her 30th consecutive international appearance in a match against Scotland in Cyprus and had her first two-goal game. Schmidt and her teammates won an Olympic bronze medal at London 2012. ^{[15] [16]} She scored two goals in a 3–0 win over Finland at the 2014 Cyprus Cup on 5 March 2014. ^[17] In August 2016, she won the bronze medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. ^[18]

18 February 2021, she played her 200th match for Canada in a 1–0 defeat against the United States in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. ^[19] On August 6, 2021, she won the Olympic gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics with Canada. ^[20]

Following the Tokyo Olympics, the Canadian women's team became enmeshed in disputes over compensation and funding with the Canadian Soccer Association. Schmidt, frustrated, contemplated immediate retirement in early 2023, but was persuaded by coach Bev Priestman to delay her retirement until after the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. ^[21] Named to the Canadian squad for the fifth time, Schmidt was used as a substitute in Canada's first two group stage matches, playing a crucial role in victory over Ireland after setting up Adriana Leon's game-winning goal. ^{[22] [23]}

Following Canada's group stage exit from the 2023 World Cup, Schmidt initially followed through on her planned international retirement. ^[24] However, once longtime teammate Christine Sinclair announced her own impending retirement for year's end, Schmidt was persuaded to return one final time for the second of two scheduled matches against Australia to be played in both women's home province of British Columbia. ^[25] Following an injury to midfielder Julia Grosso, she agreed to feature in both matches. ^[26] On December 5, 2023, Schmidt made her final international appearance, a 1–0 victory in a friendly match against Australia held at BC Place in Vancouver, entering as a second-half substitute for Sinclair. ^[27]

Personal life

Schmidt became engaged to Nic Kyle, an actor and singer, in September 2017. ^[28] They married in New Zealand in December 2018. ^[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of April 20, 2024 ^[30]

Club	League	Season	League		Playoffs		Cup		Continental		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sky Blue FC	NWSL	2013	20	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	7
		2014	22	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	22	1
	Total		42	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	8
FFC Frankfurt	Bundesliga	2015–16	14	0	0	0	1	0	5	1	20	1
		2016–17	21	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	21	3
		2017–18	17	3	0	0	3	1	0	0	20	4
	Total		52	6	0	0	4	1	5	1	61	8
Houston Dash	NWSL	2019	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
		2020	4	3	0	0	7	1	0	0	11	4
		2021	18	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	20	0
		2022	18	3	1	1	6	0	0	0	25	4
		2023	20	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	22	0
		2024	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	Total		83	6	1	1	17	1	0	0	101	8
Career total			178	20	1	1	20	2	5	1	204	24

International goals

Key (expand for notes on "international goals" and sorting)
Location	Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name
Lineup	Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time ( c ) – captain Sorted by minutes played
#	NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match)
Min	The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal.
Assist/pass	The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information.
penalty or pk	Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.)
Score	The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team
Result	The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation
aet	The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation
pso	Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parentheses; the match was tied at the end of extra-time
	Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match
	Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament
	Light-orange background color – Olympic women's football qualification match
	Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament
NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player

Goal	Date	Location	Opponent	Lineup	#	Min	Score	Result	Competition
1	2005-04-27 [m 1]	Bischheim, France	France	Start	1.1	75	5150.01005 1–0	5250.02005 2–0	Friendly
2	2006-03-04 [m 2]	Vancouver, Canada	Netherlands	Start	1.1	71	5250.03005 3–1	5250.03005 3–1	Friendly
3	2007-09-15 [m 3]	Hangzhou, China	Ghana	Start	1.1	55	5250.02005 2–0	5450.04005 4–0	FIFA Women's World Cup
4	2012-01-23 [m 4]	Vancouver, Canada	Costa Rica	60. off 60' (on Timko)	1.1	10	5250.02005 2–0	5250.04005 4–2	Olympic qualifier
5	2012-02-28 [m 5]	Larnaca, Cyprus	Scotland	77. off 77' (on Buckland)	2.1	36	5150.02005 2–1	5450.05005 5–1	Cyprus Cup
6					2.2	51	5250.03005 3–1
7	2012-03-31 [m 6]	Malmö, Sweden	Sweden	Start	1.1	87	4850.01005 1–3	5050.01005 1–1	Friendly
8	2013-03-06 [m 7]	Larnaca, Cyprus	Switzerland	86. off 86' (on Lawrence)	1.1	2	5150.01005 1–0	5250.02005 2–0	Cyprus Cup
9	2013-12-22 [m 8]	Brasilia, Brazil	Scotland	Start	1.1	90	5150.02005 1–0	5150.02005 1–0	Brasilia Tournament
10	2014-03-05 [m 9]	Nicosia, Cyprus	Finland	72. off 72' (on Ezurike)	2.1	35	5150.01005 1–0	5350.03005 3–0	Cyprus Cup
11					2.2	42	5250.02005 2–0
12	2014-03-12 [m 10]	Nicosia, Cyprus	Republic of Ireland	Start	1.1	90	5150.02005 2–1	5150.02005 2–1	Cyprus Cup
13	2014-06-18 [m 11]	Vancouver, Canada	Germany	80. off 80' (on Leon)	1.1	54	5050.01005 1–1	4950.01005 1–2	Friendly
14	2014-06-18 [m 12]	Vancouver, Canada	Japan	Start	2.1	58	5050.02005 1–1	4950.02005 2–3	Friendly
15					2.2	90+1	4950.01005 2–2
16	2015-05-29 [m 13]	Hamilton, Canada	England	Start	1.1	23	5150.01005 1–0	5150.01005 1–0	Friendly
17	2016-08-12 [m 14]	São Paulo, Brazil	France	81. off 81' (on Quinn)	1.1	55	5150.01005 1–0	5150.01005 1–0	Olympics: quarterfinal
18	2017-03-03 [31]	Almancil, Portugal	Russia	78. off 78' (on Carle)	1.1	9	1–0	2–1	Algarve Cup
19	2019-04-08 [32]	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain	Nigeria	46. on 46' (off Grosso)	1.1	53	1–0	2–1	Friendly
20	2022-07-12	Guadalupe, Mexico	Costa Rica	{{{4}}}. on 61' (off Quinn)	1.1	70	2-0	2-0	Concacaf W Championship

Honours

Houston Dash

• NWSL Challenge Cup: 2020

Canada U20

• CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship: 2008

Canada

• CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2010
• Summer Olympics: 2021; bronze medal: 2012, 2016
• Pan American Games: 2011
• CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship: 2008
• Algarve Cup: 2016
• Four Nations Tournament: 2015
• Cyprus Cup: 2008, 2011

Individual

• Canadian U-20 Player of the Year: 2007
• BC Soccer Youth Player of the Year: 2005
• BC Soccer Adult Player of the Year: 2007

See also

• List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps

References

1. "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 – List of Players: Canada" (PDF). FIFA . 6 July 2015. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
2. Davidson, Neil (31 July 2015). "Canadian international Sophie Schmidt signs with European champion Frankfurt". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
3. "Sophie Schmidt kommt zum 1. FFC". Fr.de (in German). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
4. "No. 13 Sophie Schmidt". University of Portland. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
5. "Canadian Women International, Sophie Schmidt: "My faith is the single most important thing to me" – Cross the Line". 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
6. "Schmidt thrives as magicJack's unknown superstar". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
7. Sigurdsson, Albert (2 April 2012). "Sweden: Sophie Schmidt signs with Kristianstads DFF". WSoccerNews.com. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
8. "Chatting with Sophie Schmidt: Abbotsford's Olympic bronze medalist has a vision for Canadian soccer". Cascade. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
9. Davidson, Neil (31 July 2015). "Canadian international Sophie Schmidt signs with European champion Frankfurt". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
10. "Canada Soccer announces roster for International Friendly against Brazil 2 September in Ottawa". 22 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
11. Chelsey Bush (12 March 2019). "Sophie Schmidt gives the Dash the midfield spine that they need". Equalizer Soccer.
12. Benedict Rhoes (26 July 2020). "Canadian Sophie Schmidt scores as Houston Dash win NWSL Challenge Cup". Waking The Red.
13. "Canadian Schmidt re-signs with Houston Dash". TSN. 18 December 2020.
14. "Sophie Schmidt player profile". Canadian Olympic Committee. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
15. "Olympic women's soccer: Sophie Schmidt, Christine Sinclair win bronze medals as Canada beats France". Oregon Live. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
16. "Schmidt: Our time has come". FIFA. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
17. "Schmidt, Sinclair power Canada to 3–0 win over Finland at Cyprus Cup". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
18. "Canada defeats Brazil to win Olympic soccer bronze at Rio 2016". olympic.ca. 19 August 2016.
19. @CanadaSoccerEN (19 February 2021). "REACTION: @sophieschmidt13 on the occasion of her 200th cap for #CANWNT" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
20. "Canadian women's soccer team delivers thrilling Olympic gold-medal victory over Sweden". CBC. 6 August 2021.
21. "Schmidt to retire from international football after World Cup". TSN . 14 February 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
22. Molinaro, John F. (26 July 2023). "Canada's Women's World Cup comeback cued by veteran subs, starting with Sinclair". Sportsnet . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
23. Davidson, Neil (26 July 2023). "Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt help turn the tide off the bench against Irish". Times Colonist . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
24. Johnson, Meaghan (27 October 2023). "Schmidt at peace with decision to retire from national team". www.TSN.CA. TSN. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
25. Davidson, Neil (23 November 2023). "Sinclair to be honoured alongside Schmidt, McLeod in B.C. friendlies against Australia". CBC Sports . Retrieved 27 November 2023.
26. "Sophie Schmidt set for Canada farewell alongside longtime friend Sinclair". Sportsnet . 30 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
27. Jones, Chris (6 December 2023). "Christine Sinclair's Canadian career is over, but her impact will be felt for generations". CBC Sports . Retrieved 6 December 2023.
28. "@sophieschmidt13 on Instagram: "ENGAGED to the love of my life @nickylekiwi"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
29. "@sophieschmidt13 on Instagram: "It's December. I get to marry this incredible human soon!"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
30. "Sophie Schmidt Profile" . Retrieved 31 January 2017.
31. "Canada vs Russia- 2017-03-03". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
32. "Canada vs Nigeria- 2019-04-08". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.

Match reports

1. "Canada vs France – 2005-04-27". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
2. "Canada vs Netherland – 2006-03-04". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
3. "Canada vs Ghana – 2007-09-15". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
4. "Canada vs Costa Rica – 2012-01-23". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
5. "Canada vs Scotland – 2012-02-28". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
6. "Canada vs Sweden – 2012-03-31". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
7. "Canada vs Switzerland – 2013-03-06". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
8. "Canada vs Scotland – 2013-12-22". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
9. "Canada vs Finland – 2014-03-05". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
10. "Canada vs Republic of Ireland – 2014-03-12". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
11. "Canada vs Germany – 2014-06-18". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
12. "Canada vs Japan – 2014-10-28". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
13. "Canada vs England- 2015-05-29". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.
14. "Canada vs France- 2016-08-12". Canada Soccer Association. 21 November 2019.

External links

• Official website ^{[ dead link ]}
• Sophie Schmidt at the Canadian Soccer Association
• Sophie Schmidt at the National Women's Soccer League
• Sophie Schmidt at Sky Blue FC
• Sophie Schmidt – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Sophie Schmidt at Team Canada
• Sophie Schmidt at Olympics.com
• Sophie Schmidt at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
• University of Portland player profile
• Twitter