Sophie Diana Schmidt (born 28 June 1988) is a Canadian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

club

Houston Dash The Houston Dash are an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Dash began play in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at Shell Energy Stadium. His ...

. 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 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and bronze in both

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. She previously played her club soccer for German club FFC Frankfurt and

Sky Blue FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 un ...

in the NWSL.

Early life

Schmidt was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, to Elmer and Cornelia Schmidt. Her parents immigrated to Canada from Paraguay before she was born, while her grandparents were originally from Germany. She speaks German fluently and studied German in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. She attended W. J. Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and played for the Abbotsford Rush club team in 2004. She grew up in a

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

community and has described her faith as the most important thing to her.

College career

Schmidt attended the

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

and played for the

Portland Pilots The Portland Pilots is the nickname for athletics at the University of Portland. The Pilots compete in the West Coast Conference (WCC) at the NCAA Division I level. History The Pilots started to gain attention when Clive Charles began coachi ...

from 2007 to 2009. She did not play during the 2006 season due to her Canadian national team commitments. 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 The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

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. 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.

Club career

Early career

Schmidt played for the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

from 2005 to 2006, alongside former Pilots

Christine Sinclair Christine Margaret Sinclair (born June 12, 1983) is a retired Canadian professional Association football, soccer player who most recently played as a Forward (association football), forward for the Portland Thorns FC, Portland Thorns of the ...

and

Tiffeny Milbrett Tiffeny Carleen Milbrett (born October 23, 1972) is an American former professional soccer forward who was a longtime member of the United States women's national team. In May 2018 the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced Milbrett will be ens ...

. She appeared and started in eight games for the Whitecaps, recording three assists. In 2011, she played for magicJack in the WPS, followed by a short-term contract with Kristianstads DFF in 2012.

Sky Blue FC

On 11 January 2013, she joined

in the new

, 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 The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

on 31 July 2015. Schmidt left 1. FFC Frankfurt following the 2017–2018

season.

Houston Dash

After three seasons with Frankfurt, Schmidt would sign with NWSL club

in 2019. She made her debut for the club on April 14, 2019, against

Seattle Reign FC Seattle Reign FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign ar ...

. During the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final, she would score a penalty, helping the Dash defeat the

Chicago Red Stars Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...

for the club's first major trophy. In December 2020, she would re-sign with the Dash through the 2022 season, with the Dash having an option for the 2023 season. On October 4, 2024, Schmidt signed a two-year contract extension through 2026 , with a mutual option for 2027.

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 The 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship was held in Russia from 17 August to 3 September 2006. It was the officially recognized world championship for women's under-20 national association football teams. Matches were held in four Moscow st ...

in Russia. She made her senior debut against

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

on 19 April 2005. In her first

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

she scored against

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

on 15 September 2007. She subsequently started all four Olympic matches at

Beijing 2008 The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

, and played at the

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup was the sixth FIFA Women's World Cup competition, the world championship for List of women's national association football teams, women's national association football, football teams. It was held from 26 June to ...

. Schmidt and her team won a

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

gold medal. On 28 February 2012, Schmidt made her 30th consecutive international appearance in a match against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in Cyprus and had her first two-goal game. Schmidt and her teammates won an Olympic bronze medal at

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. She scored two goals in a 3–0 win over

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

at the 2014 Cyprus Cup on 5 March 2014. In August 2016, she won the bronze medal in the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. 18 February 2021, she played her 200th match for Canada in a 1–0 defeat against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. On August 6, 2021, she won the Olympic gold medal in the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

with Canada. Following the Tokyo Olympics, the Canadian women's team became enmeshed in disputes over compensation and funding with the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...

. Schmidt, frustrated, contemplated immediate retirement in early 2023, but was persuaded by coach

Bev Priestman Beverly Priestman (born 29 April 1986) is an English professional Association football, football manager who was the head coach of the Canada women's national soccer team, Canada women's national team. Early life At age 12, Priestman signed-up ...

to delay her retirement until after the

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's association football, football championship contested by List of women's national association football teams, women's nat ...

. On March 9, 2023, Schmidt spoke before the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage alongside teammates Christine Sinclair, Quinn and Janine Sonis, criticizing Canada Soccer's treatment of the women's program. 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 Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

after setting up Adriana Leon's game-winning goal. Following Canada's group stage exit from the 2023 World Cup, Schmidt initially followed through on her planned international retirement. However, once longtime teammate

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

to be played in both women's home province of British Columbia. Following an injury to midfielder Julia Grosso, she agreed to feature in both matches. On December 5, 2023, Schmidt made her final international appearance, a 1–0 victory in a friendly match against Australia held at

BC Place BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a Crown corporation of the province. The venue is currently ...

in Vancouver, entering as a second-half substitute for Sinclair.

Personal life

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

Career statistics

Club

International goals

Honours

Houston Dash *

NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup is an annual supercup competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a division 1 women's league in the United States soccer league system. The current (2025) cup holder is the Washington Spirit, who ...

: 2020 Canada U20 * CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship:

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Canada *

CONCACAF Women's Championship The CONCACAF W Championship is a women's association football competition for national teams organized by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) that often serves as the qualifying competition ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

; bronze medal:

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

* CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship:

Algarve Cup The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and ...

* Four Nations Tournament:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

* Cyprus Cup:

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

References

;Match reports

External links

* *
Sophie Schmidt
at the

Sophie Schmidt
at

* * *
University of Portland player profile

Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Sophie 1988 births Living people Soccer players from Winnipeg Canadian people of German descent Canadian people of Paraguayan descent Soccer people from British Columbia Canadian expatriate women's soccer players Canadian Mennonites Canadian women's soccer players Canada women's international soccer players Women's association football midfielders Footballers at the 2011 Pan American Games 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players Vancouver Whitecaps FC (women) players MagicJack (WPS) players USL W-League (1995–2015) players Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden Expatriate women's footballers in Germany Eintracht Frankfurt (women) players Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics National Women's Soccer League players Olympic soccer players for Canada Olympic medalists in football Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Portland Pilots women's soccer players Gotham FC players Houston Dash players FIFA Women's Century Club Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games soccer players for Canada Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Pan American Games gold medalists in football Frauen-Bundesliga players 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players Damallsvenskan players Women's Professional Soccer players Kristianstads DFF players 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Canada 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States 21st-century Canadian sportswomen