Sophie Braun interview: How playing for Argentina made the U.S.-born defender 'feel whole'

It has been 461 days since Sophie Braun scored Argentinas opening goal in last summers World Cup.

It was a golazo a stunning strike from outside the box that lobbed perfectly into the top corner.

Replays soon splashed across sports networks and, suddenly, everything changed for the American-born midfielder.

Advertisement My world blew up that day, Braun says from the lobby of a hotel in Downtown Louisville, reflecting on the outpouring of support that quickly followed.

Im obviously thankful and Ill never forget scoring in a World Cup, but I dont want to just be remembered for that.

I want to do more and help this team in more ways.

The 24-year-old spoke with The Athletic on the eve of Argentinas friendly against the United States .

The two will meet at Lynn Family Stadium on Wednesday night for the second time this year, following the USWNTs 4-0 win in the group stage of the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup in February.

While the sides have met five times since 1998, Argentina has been on the losing end of every match-up, only scoring once in their first meeting.

For them, playing us is probably not a huge deal, Braun says.

But for us, this is a massive game.

Its a game that we could remember for all our lives.

That is especially true for an Argentine-American like Braun, who has spent the last three years with the senior national team exploring her blended identity, while also basking in the growing presence of Argentine culture across the U.S.

Brauns Argentine roots run deep.

Her mother hails from the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, moving to the U.S.

to study English.

She decided to stay after she met Brauns father, settling in Oregon.

Growing up, Braun would often visit her family in Argentina with her younger twin siblings.

She quickly learned how serious Argentines were about their futbol .

Games would always be on at her grandparents house, especially when River Plate was playing.

Braun realized, This feels like home to me.

During one of these trips to Argentina, Braun had the career-setting opportunity to train with River Plate.

She eventually connected with a coach from the national team circuit, who later invited her to train with Argentinas under-20s team.

All while she was still a freshman at Gonzaga University.

Advertisement After gaining her dual citizenship, Braun began competing with the under-20s, debuting at the 2020 South American Under-20s Womens Football Championship and scoring the game-winning goal in their opening match against Ecuador.

In 2021, Braun made her senior debut at the SheBelievesCup against Brazil.

There is an image of a college-age Braun posing with Marta .

#SheBelievesCup Hija de madre argentina y padre estadounidense, Sophia Braun vivira un partido muy especial esta noche: "Es muy emocionante ver como mis dos mundos se encuentran dentro de una cancha de futbol".

https://t.co/h4SP4LLPYD pic.twitter.com/v9Ol2usMy5 Seleccion Argentina (@Argentina) February 24, 2021 Joining the national team has pushed Braun to connect more deeply with her Argentine heritage.

She is still working on some things, like mastering how to play the card game truco with her teammates.

Though her ID reads Sophia, she also goes by Sophie.

Her teammates jokingly insist on the Argentine spelling, Sofi.

At first, she barely spoke Spanish.

Growing up, her mother wanted to practice her own English, so Spanish was never the primary language at home.

Braun is still learning, but is much better now compared to when she first joined the team.

Its like night and day, she says.

This has helped her connect more intimately with her own family, especially her grandparents.

Their English is very broken, so being able to communicate with them more has been awesome, especially as they get older, Braun says.

Ive been able to strengthen my relationships with a lot of my family that I honestly didnt even know very well, like cousins and aunts that let me stay with them when Im down there for long periods for soccer.

I feel really lucky because, without this opportunity, I wouldnt have been able to learn about that part of my identity.

Im more whole because of it.

She also enjoys a newfound closeness with her mother, who traveled with her to New Zealand for last years World Cup.

She had to close off a lot of her identity when she came to the U.S.

and it was a big change for her, Braun says.

It made her super proud that we were honoring her culture and representing her.

So, it was special to have her there.

Advertisement Though Brauns path to the national team seems straightforward, her route to playing professionally has not always been as smooth.

It was not until college that she began considering what a pro career would look like.

I had challenges getting recruited to play in college.

So once I got to college and I realized this is what I wanted to do...

I knew it was something I wanted to work towards.

After graduating in 2022, Braun signed with Club Leon in Liga MX, playing in 18 games and scoring two goals as a center back.

Following her World Cup debut, the Kansas City Current signed Braun in January through the 2024 season, with an option for 2025.

In July, the Current loaned Braun to the Spokane Zephyr in the USL Super League.

Since joining Spokane, Braun has featured in all but one of the teams eight games her absence in that one match stemmed from her being on international duty with Argentina.

The Current previously said her loan would run through the end of the NWSL season, which concludes next month.

It was just important to go somewhere and play and grow as a player, which I wasnt able to do in Kansas City, as much as I loved it and felt like I was growing (in a different way), Braun says.

I needed that experience to help me and even to be able to help the (Argentine national) team here more.

Argentinas upcoming game against the U.S.

will serve as a litmus test to pinpoint what the team must work on to reach their eventual goal of qualifying for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, the first womens edition to be held in South America.

The young team, still reeling from three veteran players quitting the side in protest in May, has an upcoming friendly with Colombia on November 30, also in the U.S.

Since the World Cup, Braun has helped elevate the presence of the Argentine womens national team in the U.S.

The fanbase was already boosted by Lionel Messi s arrival to Major League Soccer , as well as AFAs recent investments to bolster their presence in places like Miami .

Couple that with Brauns stunning goal and her signing to an NWSL club, Argentine-Americans began flooding her inbox.

Advertisement Braun described how little girls messaged her, explaining that their parents are also from Argentina and live in the U.S.

Theyd say, I watched you play and I want to play for the Argentina team, too.

Braun even sent a national team jersey to one nine-year-old, who later framed it on her wall.

Hopefully one day shell be playing for the Argentina team, Braun adds.

Una LOCURA de Sophia Braun @Argentina | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/JYQiZkv6Np Copa Mundial FIFA (@fifaworldcup_es) September 20, 2023 When Braun is asked about her legacy, about what she does want to be remembered for, her instinct is to laugh.

She is still so young, after all.

But she takes a moment to think it through.

Growing the game in Argentina is something I hope comes out of my time playing here, and I mean growing Argentinas game in the U.S., too, Braun says.

Its really cool being able to identify more with my Argentina side.

I want, obviously, for us to make the next World Cup and I want us to make history and qualify for that next round.

I want a lot of things, but Im just excited to help grow this team, help grow the game down there, and help people put some respect on womens soccer in Argentina.

(Top photo: Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.