A different kind of commitment
Stanford was also where he met Sophia Smith, now one of the best women’s soccer players in the world. Their first interaction came in the training room as Wilson was recovering in the hot tub while Smith stepped into the ice bath. He noticed her immediately, long before he knew anything about her resume.
“I thought she was cute, ” Wilson said. “I didn’t know she was the No. 1 player in the country.”
Their chemistry was instant, and during a freshman icebreaker night, they kept catching each other’s eyes.
“You could tell there was definitely a spark and some chemistry between us,” he said.
His mom noticed that connection immediately.
“I always said they’re the mirror of each other,” she said. “They just get each other and understand what they’re going through.”
Smith, who currently plays for the Portland Thorns, began her ascent to the top at Stanford, where she led the team to the 2019 NCAA national championship. Selected with the first pick in the 2020 NWSL draft, Sophia became the first teenager ever to be drafted into the league. She also made her debut with the U.S. Women’s National Team that same year.
Two years later, she led the Thorns to the NWSL Championship and was named the NWSL MVP. Internationally, Smith was also named the 2022 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. In 2023, she was the league’s top goal scorer, earning the NWSL Golden Boot, and in 2024, she played a crucial role in the USWNT’s Olympic run, scoring three goals en route to the gold medal.
Their relationship has survived long distance, demanding schedules and the pressure of maintaining elite performance. Wilson said they’ve “always done long distance,” sometimes going six weeks without seeing each other. In college, he didn’t have the money to fly out every weekend, and he wasn’t allowed to leave campus because of football obligations. In the NFL, the schedule is lighter, but the strain remains for the now-married couple.