Daily News | Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith lead the USWNT’s campaign for mental health at the World Cup
Their determination to honor Meyer’s memory led Girma and Smith to plan ways to drive a conversation around mental health on the world stage. The rest of the U.S. squad got on board right away, with many of them joining Girma and Smith in a powerful social media video published just before the tournament kicked off.Julie Ertz steps up, Sophia Smith steps out, and U.S.
“That was for Katie,” Smith said after the Vietnam game. “Nay and I talked about it before the game — we were like, what could we do for Katie, and that’s pretty iconic what she did. … We just wanted to honor her in every way.”“It’s something that’s really important to me and Soph,” she said in a news conference. “We said if one of us scored — probably her — that we would do that.”
Girma being a centerback and Smith a forward, that line drew hearty laughs from everyone in the room. It helped lighten the mood on what is obviously a serious subject.Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma and the USWNT’s young stars are poised to break out at the World Cup “I think we see this as an opportunity to shed light on a lot of things that are important to us, and I think that’s been something that’s at the core of this team for so long,” Girma said. “And for us to come in now and carry on that legacy is something that’s really important to us.”
Girma, 23, and Smith, 22, have been friends since well before they were Stanford teammates. They played on U.S. youth national teams together, forming a bond that stretched from Girma’s home in San Jose, Calif., to Smith’s home in suburban Denver.“I mean, I’m just so proud and happy for her,” she said. “We keep each other grounded throughout … If we’re nervous before a game, we’re like, ‘Oh, I’m nervous’ — we’re like, ‘No, it’s OK. You got it.’ Just giving each other a little pep talk.
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