Sophie Schmidt

Sophie Schmidt built her career on longevity, and by the time she left the game she held the record for the most appearances by a Canadian player in the NWSL. She started out with the Vancouver Whitecaps (Women) in the W-League, then moved through MagicJack, Kristianstads DFF and Sky Blue FC, where she was named to the NWSL Best XI First Team in 2013, before a spell in Germany with 1. FFC Frankfurt. She joined the Dash in March 2019 through the NWSL Discovery Process and went on to captain the club, later lifting the NWSL Challenge Cup with Houston in 2020.

It is with the Canadian national team, though, that Schmidt's story carries the most weight. She earned 226 caps between 2005 and 2023, scoring 20 goals and finishing as the second-most capped player in the country's women's football history. She appeared at five FIFA Women's World Cups, a span running from 2007 to 2023, alongside four Olympic Games. Her medal collection from those Games reads Bronze in London in 2012, Bronze again in Rio in 2016, and Gold at the Tokyo Games, played in 2021.

Beyond the Olympics, Schmidt won gold at the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Championship, and added silver at the 2018 CONCACAF W Championship. In August 2022 she was named Canada Soccer Player of the Month.