Sophia Wilson's Return Inspired By 'Incredible' Moms of USA's Past

Three years ago, Sophia Wilson never could have dreamed she’d be in this position.

It was the spring of 2023, and Wilson was participating in a U.S. women’s national team media day ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. One of the many questions she was asked that day was about the moms on the roster. There were three: Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and Julie Ertz.

At the time, Wilson looked at them as examples of what she aspired to be — an athlete in the prime of her career who was also a mom.

Now here we are in 2026, about a year out from the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, and Wilson is one of those moms she always looked up to.

"It’s so special," Wilson told a group of reporters via Zoom on Thursday. "I don’t think I could have imagined it. I think I knew I always wanted to be a mom. I’ve always been very maternal and I love kids and feel like that’s my biggest calling in life is to be a mom. So I just feel very fortunate that I’m in the position I’m in, having players like Alex go through it was just the coolest thing to see."

Wilson, 25, was just named to her first national team roster in 15 months after her pregnancy and giving birth to her daughter, Gigi, in August. Her last appearance for the U.S. was Oct. 24, 2024 in a 3-1 win over Iceland. The superstar forward — and one third of the USA’s famous "Triple Espresso" — is a massive re-addition to a squad that’s preparing for World Cup qualifying later this year, and she will likely feature in three upcoming April matches against Japan. 

When Wilson steps on the field next, she’ll be the 18th mom ever to play for the USWNT, and the next time she scores a goal, she’ll be the ninth mom to do so.

"Being that player that I once viewed Alex as is pretty surreal," Wilson said. "And I hope that I carry myself in the same way that Alex did where it showed younger girls and athletes that it is very possible to do both — have a family and play at a high level and just do all the things."

(Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Coming back from pregnancy is an experience unlike any other. For Wilson, it was a balancing act of tempering her competitive juices with being patient with herself. She missed the entire 2025 NWSL season while pregnant, and recently returned from maternity leave. She played in her first game for the Portland Thorns on March 13 vs. the Washington Spirit.

Wilson has been building minutes with her club, but has yet to play a full 90. That day is coming though.

"Getting back to playing at a high level is not just a straight path," Wilson said. "It’s not going to happen with the snap of my fingers. A lot of work went into it behind the scenes that a lot of people didn’t see and a lot of work is still going into it.

"It’s just being gracious with myself and going into it with the perspective of, look at what my body has done for me and what it’s still continuing to do for me and knowing that it is very possible to be great at both things: be a great mom and be a great athlete."

Wilson understands that women — be them athletes or not — may feel pressure to come back to regularly scheduled programming after pregnancy sooner rather than later. But she is happy with how she’s been able to take her time and go about in her own way.

"I think just knowing myself, knowing my body, knowing that it will take time to get back — I wouldn’t even say normal because what is normal? — but just get back to feeling like 100% myself," Wilson said. "But I feel like I’m in a really great place right now. I think I’ve taken this journey the right way. I think I’ve gone about it the right way. I’ve had so much support, so much help, and I haven't felt pressured in any way."

(Photo by Amanda Loman/NWSL via Getty Images)

Wilson spoke of the importance of seeing athletes go through pregnancy before her, and how "that, more than anything, is what shows me that I can do it, too." She’s close with former players like Morgan and Dunn, and knows the history of players who had to figure things out with little help.

Recently revamped NWSL and USWNT CBAs not only exist, but include critical care for mothers such as paid maternity leave, contract security, medical benefits and a return-to-play structure. 

"We’ve had so many amazing players that have done that in conditions that were very poor where they didn’t have the resources they needed and they didn't have the support they needed," Wilson said. "And those players still did a lot of fighting for the players that they knew would come after them and go through the same thing that players like myself felt more supported. 

"And for that, I'm very grateful because it’s a very selfless thing to do, to go through those negotiations and fight for those things knowing that maybe it's not you who will benefit from it, but the players after you who will."

Former U.S. teammates who come to mind when she thinks about this are Morgan and Dunn.

"I remember [Morgan’s] first camp she brought [her daughter] Charlie back in and just thinking, ‘That’s so inspiring, so incredible,’" Wilson said. "And just watching her go through that and get back to playing at a high level, I think was just my first example that I got to see firsthand of someone doing that.

"And then obviously I played with Crystal [in Portland and on the USWNT] when she had Marcel, and that was the most fun thing ever. I feel like I just got to see it all. And Crystal is like a big sister to me, so just being so close with her while she went through that was really amazing to see."

Wilson, who is married to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, said she has a nanny who travels with her everywhere, which is helpful when she has to be 100% present and focused on her job. Wilson is still nursing and said she’s "a mom that likes to do everything unless I literally, physically can’t," so having a support system is key for her lifestyle.

"It does take a village," Wilson said. "People do it by themselves, but it's so much easier with help and I feel so supported in every environment that I’ve been in so far and I know the national team is going to be the same because they've had experience with it.

"I feel really supported," Wilson added. "I’ve felt like I’ve had all the resources that I've needed. And it's just figuring it out as we go."