Canadian teenager Olivia Smith turns pro, signs with Portugal’s Sporting CP
Olivia Smith, the youngest member of Canada’s Women’s World Cup squad, has signed with Portugal’s Sporting CP.
The 18-year-old from Whitby, Ont., performed for Penn State final 12 months however introduced earlier than the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that she deliberate to depart faculty and switch professional.
Sporting CP stated Smith has signed via 2025.
Smith, who can play each ahead and attacking midfielder, was on the bench Friday for seventh-ranked Canada’s scoreless draw with No. 40 Nigeria at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Smith was an sudden addition to the Canadian crew on the event in Australia and New Zealand.
Originally invited to the pre-tournament camp as a coaching participant, she performed her manner onto the ultimate 23-woman squad.
“To be honest, she’s been absolutely outstanding,” Canada coach Bev Priestman stated in naming her roster. “I can inform the gamers are blown away along with her affect coming in.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on Olivia. She’s got nothing to lose. She’s got a massive future. She’s only 18 and we’re invested in the future. But she very much earned this call-up. It wasn’t a given because of age or what she can be. She very much has held her own in this environment … She was exciting from the minute she came in.”
Smith follows fellow Canadian Cloe Lacasse to the Portuguese girls’s league. Lacasse, additionally on the World Cup, received titles with Benfica and was named the Portugal league’s prime participant earlier than signing with England’s Arsenal in late June.
Smith was 12 when she made her debut within the Canadian youth program in 2017 below Priestman, finally scoring 24 objectives at youth stage, second solely to Christine Sinclair (27).
Smith was 15 when she made her senior debut in November 2019, changing into Canada’s youngest senior debutante. That similar 12 months she was named Canada Soccer’s Young Player of the Year.
Sporting, primarily based in Lisbon, can be residence to Canadian ahead Chandra Davidson. The membership completed runner-up to Benfica in final season’s league desk.
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