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GOAL sat down with the American fullback to discuss how she redefined her goals to make her World Cup dream a reality

Let Sofia Huerta hype herself up for just one moment – she deserves to, after all. By any measure, Huerta shouldn't be here; she shouldn't be with this team for this tournament for this moment; it feels unfathomable.

A woman who initially opted to play for Mexico couldn't have imagined herself playing for the U.S. women's national team. And a player that once had so many reasons to doubt herself could never have predicted that she'd have so many reasons to believe.

That's what got Huerta to this moment: belief. It's what got her from the wilderness to the World Cup. Seven years ago, she found herself playing for Adelaide United with no real idea of what would come next. On Friday night, she could very well start for the USWNT in Auckland in the first game of their 2023 World Cup.

The path to this point has been anything but a straight line. Huerta isn't like many of her team-mates, many of whom were tipped for success at an early age. For so long she was an outsider. Yet, here she is among the stars with a chance to represent her country at a World Cup.

"I've been in the league [NWSL] for 10 years," she says. "That is an accomplishment, for sure. I just signed a deal with Lotto. That's a big deal! I'm the first player from Idaho to become a female professional soccer player, the first to play for and against Mexico and the U.S. There are so many things! I know I just sounded a little cocky there, but I just think, in general, the mentality is now to focus on what you do have instead of what you don't.

"I think, right now, there are just so many things to be thankful for."

Ahead of the World Cup, the USWNT fullback sat down with GOAL to talk about the things she's thankful for, her winding path to a World Cup and how her one world-class skill got her to where she always dreamt of being.

GettyA long journey and nothing to lose

To understand Huerta, you have to understand her journey.

"Everyone's journey is very different and unique and amazing in its own way," she says. "My journey, specifically, has not been a straight line."

A Mexican-American born and raised in Idaho, Huerta's path to USWNT stardom has been anything but normal. In fact, her path to the USWNT ran straight through one of the team's big rivals, Mexico.

Having represented the U.S. and Mexico as a youth international, Huerta opted to join the latter back in 2012. She played five matches for them at international level, scoring twice, before deciding that her heart really was with the USWNT.

The problem was that, for a while, the USWNT didn't necessarily love Huerta back. Having earned seven caps with the U.S. after her initial switch, she tumbled down the pecking order after she failed to impress. It was at that time that her mental health began to deteriorate as she developed anxiety that made her lose belief in herself as a player and person.

That is what Huerta has battled back from. For three years, she found herself out of the USWNT picture and, for three years, she wondered: what's the point? In those moments, she wasn't just battling defenders, but herself.

"I'm a great teammate, a great friend, like there are so many things, and just because I'm not on the national team doesn't mean I'm not successful," she said while reflecting on those darker times. "Changing that narrative a few years back has definitely served me in the best way possible because it has made this time period before the World Cup easier. I've heard players say that if they don't make the roster, will they feel fulfilled in their career? I understand that, but, no matter what, I'm still gonna feel good about my career."

Huerta, admittedly, is still fighting back against that anxiety with the help of a mental health coach. But it's hard to say she isn't giving it hell, having built herself into one of the 23 best players in the USWNT player pool.

"It's never been guaranteed for me, and even right now, going into the World Cup, it's not guaranteed. My journey, specifically, definitely has allowed me to appreciate the position I'm in. I'm very thankful that I'm in the conversation, that I've been getting to camps the last couple years and I'm in a position where I can go to work. [Going to] a World Cup, I'll be one of the few who have gone to that first World Cup in their 30s. That kind of describes my journey a little bit.

"I was playing for the Mexican national team and I was with the U.S. and then I didn't do what I needed to do and then there was a few years in between and then I finally got called in again in a different position. I'm playing a completely different position than I have over the majority of my professional career.

"It's never been like linear for me. It's always been really winding and with a lot of uncertainty and I think really, just going into this summer, I had just more peace than I think anyone would expect considering my journey. But I think at this point, I have nothing to lose."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesDealing with doubts

During those darker moments, Huerta had to ask herself some tough questions.

"I think it's human nature," she says. "I definitely always felt like I was enough and had the quality to be on the national team, but that wasn't really aligning with what the reality was. I wasn't getting called in. I wasn't really in the conversation. So then it was like, 'Okay, well, is my perception of myself different than what everyone else's perception of me is?' Of course, doubt creeps in and I think, 'Hey, did I miss out on that opportunity, or we're not gonna get this opportunity again?' That would have come in every once in a while.

"I think just with all the mental work I've done, that doesn't really serve me. In fact, it just like causes me to have more anxiety and really, ultimately, if I can't really perform at my highest level anyway, I'm never going to get called back."

For years, the national team was that definition. It is the pinnacle of the game, after all – the highest level a player can play at. Every player dreams of those moments of hearing the national anthem play. It was hearing that anthem, while on the Mexican side of it all, that convinced Huerta to switch over and follow her heart with the USWNT.

The USWNT always was the goal, but Huerta realized she couldn't make it her everything. Instead, she had to fall in love with the process again and rediscover why she got into this line of work in the first place.

"When you start getting in your head, you're not having fun anymore," she says. "Really, what are you doing? We all play! Yeah, the money has gotten better, of course, but we all started playing when there was absolutely no money! We played it because we loved it and it was fun and we enjoyed it. It was about getting back to that. So I just thought about how I want to be the best player I can be. I know that when I'm my best, I can be on the national team, so it was just getting back to that.

"I finally got back to that and, of course, I was noticed by Vlatko and got called up again."

GettyFaking it, Making it

Despite all she's done over the last few years, Huerta very much found herself right in that bubble heading toward the World Cup.

She felt good about what she'd done, and she had every reason to. Since returning to the USWNT in 2021, she's amassed 22 caps with 16 of them coming in 2022. Featuring that heavily in the year before a World Cup is, generally, a good sign, but World Cup rosters are always nervy, aren't they?

"Obviously, it's all about your perception," she says. "I think the initial few days when I left camp [in April], we had basically like two-and-a-half months until [Vlatko Andonovski] made the roster. There was a lot of anxiety. It was kind of like 'Okay, did I do everything that I need to do to solidify my spot?' It's almost like these questions that no-one knows the answer to and it was kind of pain-seeking a little bit. As I worked through that, I was like, 'Well, that's not really serving me'. I know what I've done the last couple of years with the national team, and in fact, what I've done in the NWSL.

"Of course, doubt can creep in and anxiety can creep in but at the end of the day, as we've heard many times, 'just fake it 'til you make it', and so I kind of took that mentality."

In the end, she was one of five fullbacks named to the U.S. squad and one of 14 first-timers heading to the World Cup. She's one of only five players in the squad that hasn't even played at a youth World Cup. She's the first player from Idaho to ever make the team and only the second, after Sydney Leroux, to make a USWNT squad after switching their international allegiance.

"I know I'm a good player, but, ultimately, the decision is kind of based on one person or a few coaches' decisions," she says. "If there was another coach, maybe I wouldn't be a guarantee. You never know! All I can do is what I can do, what's in my control, control the controllable. Vlatko is the one that has the hard job here, in my opinion!"

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LottoA supreme crosser of the ball

The big reason Huerta is back with the USWNT? A positional switch that has allowed her to flex her world-class attribute week in, week out.

For the earlier parts of her career, Huerta was a winger but, in recent years, she's shifted back to right-back. And since that switch, she's become a crossing machine. Huerta is regarded as one of the world's best crossers of the ball. She's a player that can create a goal out of nothing with one swing of her foot.

"When I was in college, my coach Jerry Smith told me that one of the keys to being on the national team is being the best at something," she says. "That gets you in and keeps you in the national team: being the best at something. You kind of look at everyone and say, 'Oh, this person does that'. I've always had a pretty good cross. It's obviously going better because I've worked on that craft, but I remember him telling me that I have a world-class cross, keep working on it, and that will be my ticket. And it's pretty funny now because I think he's right!

"I believe I'm a quality player for sure, but I think one of the main reasons I'm on this team is because I have such a good cross."

Huerta is right: that's why she's here. And it's what makes her such an interesting option for the USWNT.

So often, teams sit in deep against the U.S. and, over the last few years, the team has struggled a bit to break teams down. That's where Huerta could come in. There's no real defense for a perfectly-hit cross, after all.

"That's my favorite part about playing since the position change," she says. "Previously being an attacking player, obviously I have a very attacking mindset. I play defense and that's the priority, of course, but I'm on the national team because I'm an attacking outside back. I'm not necessarily this phenomenal one-on-one defender. I can get forward and I get crosses in the box for my team-mates to score.

"I really try to focus on what I'm really, really good at. That's always the main key of mine in the game: let me have at least two to four key passes that can create big chances. It's also about getting better at what I get better at, and I'm a defender now so I need to get better in certain areas and I focus on that on the daily as well. It is a balance, but I definitely try to focus on, and what I find important, is just being good at what I'm really good at."

It remains to be seen how much Huerta will play this summer. She'll be battling star fullback Emily Fox and veteran Kelley O'Hara for a spot on that right-hand side. But, if there comes a time where the U.S. needs someone to create some danger, Andonovski will know where to look.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras anunciou, na noite desta segunda-feira, as medidas que tomará em relação às equipes de futebol feminino e masculino, tanto profissionais quanto das categorias de base, com a paralisação de todos os torneios, por conta da pandemia do coronavírus. Somente atletas lesionados e com casos específicos precisaram manter tratamento na Academia de Futebol.

-Frequentarão a Academia de Futebol os jogadores que estão em tratamento de lesão e atletas específicos que realizarão atividades sob orientação do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance (NSP), respeitando sempre os protocolos de prevenção das autoridades competentes – informou o clube, em nota.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFutebol NacionalFederação suspende o Campeonato Paulista por tempo indeterminadoFutebol Nacional16/03/2020PalmeirasPalmeiras aponta acerto com Paulista parado: ‘Precisamos preservar vidas’Palmeiras16/03/2020PalmeirasAllianz Parque paralisa todas as atividades a partir desta segundaPalmeiras16/03/2020

No momento, do elenco profissional masculino, estão em tratamento de lesão o lateral-direito Mayke, já trabalhando fisicamente no campo depois de sofrer contusão no pé esquerdo diante do Mirassol, em 16 de fevereiro, e o atacante Luan Silva, que sofreu lesão na coxa esquerda contra a Ferroviária, há oito dias.

Todos os jogadores do elenco receberam um programa de treinamento individualizado, e serão monitorados à distância. Há também uma série de recomendações de prevenção, com os médicos estarão à disposição para qualquer dúvida ou necessidade.

– Teremos treinamentos isolados, para preservas as pessoas. O objetivo maior é que as pessoas não estejam juntas. Precisamos trabalhar nessa direção, para ter o menor número de casos possível – disse o presidente do Verdão, Maurício Galiotte, ao falar quando ainda era apenas um tendência a liberação dos treinamentos, no começo da tarde desta segunda-feira.

O último passo para paralisação total foi dado nesta segunda-feira, após reunião na Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF) que definiu a interrupção imediata e por tempo indeterminado do Campeonato Paulista. A decisão é igual à que a Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol (Conmebol) teve, ainda na semana passada, e da anunciada pela Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), no domingo. Decisões valem para torneio profissionais e de base.

Na sexta-feira, para contribuir para reduzir o contágio do coronavírus, o Palmeiras já tinha informado a suspensão de todas as atividades no clube social. Nesta segunda-feira, o Allianz Parque anunciou medida similar.

Confira a íntegra do comunicado oficial do Palmeiras nesta segunda-feira:

“A Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras informa que, em função da decisão da Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF), da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) e da Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol (Conmebol) de interromper temporariamente as partidas de suas respectivas competições, as atividades relativas ao futebol do clube, tanto nas categorias principal e de base masculina quanto na equipe feminina, estão suspensas por tempo indeterminado a partir desta segunda-feira (16).

Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras conheceu nessa terça-feira os adversários na Libertadores de 2020. Disputando a quinta edição consecutiva, algo inédito para o clube, o Verdão aposta desta vez em Vanderlei Luxemburgo, que ainda não tem em seu vencedor currículo a competição continental. Em 2020, pode haver o Dérbi já na fase de grupos.

Luxa já comandou o time em duas edições: de 1994 e 2009. Na primeira, foi eliminado nas oitavas de final pelo São Paulo, com jogos intercalados por uma excursão por Europa e na Ásia durante a pausa para a Copa do Mundo. Luxa era contrário à viagem, pelo desgaste dos atletas. Ainda na fase de grupos, porém, fez história ao golear o Boca Juniors (ARG) por 6 a 1.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras negocia empréstimos de Antônio Carlos e BorjaPalmeiras17/12/2019PalmeirasPalmeiras tem orçamento de 2020 aprovado; veja verba para reforçosPalmeiras17/12/2019

Há dez anos, a campanha contou com jogos marcantes, como a vitória contra o Colo-Colo (CHI) que garantiu a classificação ao mata-mata, e a classificação nos pênaltis contra o Sport, nas oitavas. O time, contudo, caiu para o Nacional (URU) nas quartas, com dois empates.

⚽️🇳🇬 Um gol inesquecível! Foi com Vanderlei Luxemburgo no banco de reservas que o @Palmeiras conquistou uma classificação épica no fim da fase de grupos de 2009.

🇨🇱 Cleiton Xavier fez este golaço contra o @ColoColo. Após 1⃣1⃣ anos, Luxa voltará a dirigir o Verdão na Copa. pic.twitter.com/ixrgCKASTe

— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR) December 16, 2019

Durante a última participação com o Palmeiras, Luxemburgo teve de responder sobre o fato de não ter conquistado uma Libertadores e evitou tratar como uma obsessão.

– É claro que eu quero ganhar uma Libertadores. Você tem de ganhar todas as competições. Eu quero ganhar porque eu sou vencedor, e não porque eu não tenho Libertadores. O pessoal diz que o Zagallo não ganhou Brasileiro, mas não lembra que ganhou Copas. Isso é do Brasil, só lembram o que não ganhou – dissera em 2009.

De volta ao Palmeiras, ele encontrará um clube que trata a competição como o maior sonho. Desde a reconstrução em 2015, a melhor campanha foi de 2018, quando chegou à semifinal. Luiz Felipe Scolari, técnico campeão em 1999, era o comandante na ocasião.

Luxa é o segundo técnico com mais partidas pelo Verdão na Libertadores (20), atrás justamente de Felipão (44). Além de aguardar o destino do Corinthians nas duas primeiras fases da competição, o Palmeiras terá na sua chave o Bolívar (BOL) e o Tigre (ARG).

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Defending champions Sri Lanka and heavyweights South Africa are both out of the World T20, meaning there is little at stake in the teams’ final group game in Delhi

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Delhi27-Mar-2016Match factsMarch 28, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)1:52

Manjrekar: Back South Africa to win this one

Big PictureThere were no visible tears when Sri Lanka were knocked out of the World T20, but to see Angelo Mathews and his men speak, and to read their tweets the next day, there is clearly some hurt. More than one member of the team has expressed a feeling of letting “the whole country down”. As doomed as this Sri Lanka campaign had always seemed, pain still struck when failure became tangible. For someone like Mathews, this is the first time in his career the team is exiting a world tournament before the knockouts have begun.South Africa’s exit was not as dramatic as their penultimate-ball loss to New Zealand in the World Cup last year, but they will be no less affected. Players like Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers are into their 30s now, and have limited chances to taste big-tournament glory – particularly now that the World T20 has switched to a four-year cycle. This time, at least, they will be saved the “chokers” tag. Despite their hoard of monumental talents, South Africa just did not get going in this tournament.As each team attempts to pick itself up to play for pride, South Africa do appear the better team. Sri Lanka’s top order did not play seam well against England, which is a weakness the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, and – if he gets a game – Dale Steyn could exploit. With so many South Africans in the IPL now, it is difficult to say which team will be more comfortable in these conditions.Sri Lanka also have a little more than their self-esteem on the line: they are looking to snap their seven-match losing streak against Full-Member opposition.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LWLLL
Sri Lanka: LLWLLIn the spotlightIn an up-and-down few months for South Africa, Imran Tahir has been among their most consistent performers. He has taken five wickets in his three games this tournament, and was excellent against West Indies, returning figures of 13 for 2. Sri Lanka’s right-handers have not fancied legspin in recent months, and what’s more, some of the players in this team will have bad memories of last year’s World Cup quarter-final in Sydney, which Tahir had excelled in. His bowling may define Sri Lanka’s middle overs.Picked, then dumped, then picked again, Jeffrey Vandersay has come into the side and been perhaps the find of Sri Lanka’s woeful tournament. He was outstanding against West Indies, delivering four gripping overs on a turning track. Though his control was slightly wonky in the next match, he still took 2 for 26, and showcased a venomous googly. A third good performance in a row will give the team and its fans hope that the future can be brighter than the present.Teams newsSouth Africa may give Farhaan Behardien a match, with Aaron Phangiso also likely to retain his place. David Wiese could be rested.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt.), 4 Rilee Russouw, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 David Miller, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Aaron Phangiso, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir.With Angelo Mathews likely to be ruled out with a hamstring injury and Dushmantha Chameera also having sustained a blow to a finger, both are likely to be left out for the dead rubber. Dinesh Chandimal is the likely replacement captain. Suranga Lakmal and Shehan Jayasuriya are likely to come into the XI.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dinesh Chandimal (wk)(capt.), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Milinda Siriwardana, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Chamara Kapugedara, 6 Shehan Jayasuriya, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Dasun Shanaka, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Suranga LakmalPitch and conditionsThere was a little slowness to the Kotla surface on Saturday evening, but batsmen who had their eye in were also able to play their shots. The weather is not expected to impede play.Stats and trivia South Africa have won three T20Is and lost two against Sri Lanka. Their World T20 head-to-head is even, at 1:1.Of batsmen who only played in the Super 10s stage of the tournament, Quinton de Kock has the third-highest run-tally, of 144 from three innings. This is only the second time in six World T20 tournaments that Sri Lanka missed out on a knockouts spot. The other occasion had been in the inaugural tournament in 2007.Quotes”We’ve got a lot to play for. You never want to leave the World Cup on a bad note. We are hoping we put things back together and come up with a good victory.””This year it was helpful for spinners. A lot of spinners have done well – especially the leg-spinners. Though we are out of the competition, we fight hard – that’s the Sri Lankan spirit.”

Match facts

March 26, 2015
Start time 2.30pm local (0330GMT)2:19

Holding: Balanced bowling gives India slight edge

Big Picture

On Tuesday it was the hard-luck teams from past World Cups; on Thursday it is the powerhouses. Neither New Zealand nor South Africa had ever made a World Cup decider despite playing in nine semi-finals between them; Australia and India have collectively reached nine World Cup finals. It will soon become 10. The only question is which team will take on New Zealand on the last Sunday in March.Some people collect souvenir spoons when they go travelling, for a while Australia picked up cups in much the same way. They got one in Calcutta, one in London, one in Johannesburg, one in Bridgetown. It is quite a collection. India picked up their first in London, and waited 28 years to add another in Mumbai. They are the defending champions at this tournament; Australia were for the past three campaigns. These are teams that expect success.It is no great surprise to see Australia at the semi-final stage. It is a home tournament. They are the No.1-ranked side in the world. They entered the campaign fresh from victory in a tri-series. In some ways it is not surprising to see India there either, for they have the experience in such big tournaments, and their batting line-up is full of talent. But in that same tri-series they failed to win a match, and their turnaround has been absolute. Unlike Australia, they are as yet undefeated.Shikhar Dhawan has two hundreds in this World Cup, Virat Kohli has one, Rohit Sharma has one, Suresh Raina has one. The question was always going to be whether they had the fast bowlers to succeed in these conditions. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma have collectively answered that in the affirmative. And on the Sydney surface, their spinners will play key roles.Australia’s batting has been perhaps a little less emphatic, with David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch each having scored one century. They have taken until now to settle on a line-up and a batting order, but they look sturdier for Steven Smith’s presence at No. 3. With the ball, though, much depends on how much swing Mitchell Starc can extract.Australia enter this match as favourites, but that is only down to the home conditions. Only once in 13 completed ODIs have Australia lost to India at the SCG. That was seven years ago. It is more than three years since they have lost a one-day international to anyone at the SCG. But as Tuesday’s game in Auckland showed, it’s all about who can stand up in the heat of a World Cup knockout. Who will be this game’s Grant Elliott?

Form guide

Australia WWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
India WWWWW

In the spotlight

Who would most people have tipped as Australia’s leading run-scorer in this tournament? Aaron Finch? David Warner? Steven Smith? Well, after the quarter-final stage the holder of that title is Glenn Maxwell with 301 runs. It’s quite an effort for a man who started the summer at No. 8 in the one-day side, and struggling for form and confidence. But Maxwell’s work in the middle order during this tournament has been key to Australia’s success. The Big Show has shown he is capable of the Big Innings – his 102 against Sri Lanka in Sydney, for example. Some of the shots he played against Pakistan in Adelaide could barely be called cricket strokes, but they’re working for him.It took him most of the tournament to get going, but when Rohit Sharma finally did, it was worth the wait. His 137 off 126 balls in the quarter-final against Bangladesh sealed India’s place in the final four. And his recent form against Australia is pretty handy as well. In his only ODI innings against Australia this summer he made 138, and his previous innings against them was 209 in Bangalore in November 2013. Australia know there are plenty of match-winners in India’s batting line-up, and stopping Rohit is their first task.

Team news

The hosts are expected to name an unchanged team from the one that defeated Pakistan in Adelaide. Pat Cummins for Josh Hazlewood is the only possible change, though this would be harsh on the taker of four wickets in the quarter-final.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Josh Hazlewood.India have a very settled eleven, and are unlikely to change anything.India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami.

Pitch and weather

Already used for the quarter-final between South Africa and Sri Lanka and at the end of a long season, the surface for the match will be more to India’s liking than Australia’s. Heavy rolling of a strip that sports very little live grass is geared at making it as hard and bouncy as possible, but it is unlikely to offer the sort of steep bounce and lateral movement Australia’s pacemen are seeking. The possibility of spin is more intriguing, as of all spinners only the legbreaks of Imran Tahir have deviated significantly all tournament. The weather forecast is fine.

Stats and trivia

• Last time these teams met in a World Cup game was the quarter-final in 2011, which India won comfortably in Ahmedabad
• In that game, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin opened for Australia; here they are likely to come in at Nos. 6 and 8 respectively
• Their only previous World Cup meeting in Australia came in Brisbane in 1992, when Australia squeaked home by one run in a rain-affected game

Quotes

“Expectation is there because we’re the No. 1 ranked one-day team in the world. The reason you have expectation is because you’ve performed. There’s been a lot of talk about pressure and expectation, but that’s what comes with … playing sport at the highest level.
“We’ll be playing some different cricket now, so what happened we never want to carry into the World Cup. We always spoke about this.”