Four Things To Know About Mass. Native Kristie Mewis Prior To World Cup
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off next Thursday in Australia and New Zealand, and a Mewis sister will represent the United States in another tournament.
Sam Mewis was unable to compete this summer due to recovery from ACL surgery in January. Her older sister Kristie Mewis was called up to her first World Cup in her 11th senior national team career. The video of her emotional reaction to her call-up went viral and showed how much of a long journey it was for the 32-year-old.
To understand that journey, here are four things to know about Mewis heading into the Women’s World Cup.
Soccer family
Kristie Mewis and Sam Mewis were born 20 months apart in Weymouth, Mass. and grew up in Hanson, Mass. Their parents played soccer, and they credited their parents’ dedication and commitment to their soccer dreams to help them in their careers. The siblings were standouts early in their careers. They were the first sisters to play on a U.S. World Cup team at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the siblings also played at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The pair connected on goals in international friendlies and Olympic qualifying games throughout their careers, and they became the first sisters to play for the United States at a major tournament when they were called up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, they have not been able to accomplish their dream of competing in the World Cup together.
Chestnut Hill roots
Kristie Mewis’ success in high school and the international youth level took her to Boston College. She made an immediate impact and was one of the top players in the country throughout her college career as a multi-time Hermann Trophy semifinalist — the college soccer equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. She scored 14 goals and tallied 10 assists in her senior season at Boston College.
Mewis was drafted by FC Kansas City with the third overall pick in the 2013 National Women’s Soccer League Draft. She was traded to the Boston Breakers a season later and has played for multiple NWSL sides throughout her pro career. She was traded to Gotham FC last season and has been a solid contributor to the side as a dynamic, creative midfielder.
Comeback story
Her standout youth career led to her call-up to the senior U.S. team under then-manager Tom Sermanni in 2013. She scored her first international goal in June 2013 at Gillette Stadium but soon fell out of favor under Sermanni and his successor Jill Ellis. An ACL injury in 2018 created a crossroads for Mewis in the prime of her career.
“I think it was kind of hard for me for a while to admit to myself that it wasn’t over,” Mewis told reporters in 2020, per ESPN. “I just remember I was OK with being average for a couple of years there. I had some injuries. I just lost a lot of confidence, I lost a lot of belief in myself.”
After a five-year absence, Mewis was called into a training camp in 2019 by head coach Vlatko Andonovski. She played in a friendly against the Netherlands in November 2020 — her first match in six years. She scored a goal as a substitute, and it was 2,722 days since her last goal, which was the longest stretch between goals in U.S. history.
Despite her comeback from injury and return to form, the World Cup always is the goal for any player.
“If I don’t make this World Cup team — this is so deep — do I feel fulfilled in my career?” Mewis said on her sister’s and Gotham teammate Lynn Williams’ podcast “Snacks” in May, “And that’s such a scary thought, being a bubble player. I’ve also never really won anything. Yes, I won the Challenge Cup, but I’ve never won an NWSL championship. I’ve never won a college championship. I just feel like being named to this roster — I feel like everything that I’ve done my entire life will have been worth it. This is so deep I hate it. But that’s actually how it feels to me. …”
World Cup expectation
Mewis made the roster, but what will her role be? Rose Lavelle and Julie Ertz didn’t play in Sunday’s friendly against Wales as a precaution. The former has been out with a knee injury suffered in April and the latter returned this year after a 20-month absence after tearing her ACL and MCL.
Andonovski went with a midfield of Lindsay Horan, Andi Sullivan and Ashley Sanchez on Sunday, and Mewis came off the bench. Ideally, Lavelle and Ertz would be starters, but it’s likely Mewis will be relied upon if the pair are not fit. Savannah DeMelo is another intriguing midfield option, but fans should expect to see Mewis on the field in some capacity to help the U.S. win its third straight World Cup.
It’s possible the United States meets host Australia in the final, which would pit Mewis up against her girlfriend and Golden Ball favorite Sam Kerr.
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