Sophia Smith probably didn’t bargain for a playful moment on the touchline turning into such a kerfuffle.
The U.S. women’s national team star, after two appeals from different organizations, will be allowed to return for the Portland Thorns in Sunday’s NWSL match against the Kansas City Current.
However, the entire incident has ended with the Thorns losing a $10,000 bond and the right to appeal any further suspensions in the 2024 or 2025 seasons.
The convoluted issue began simply enough. In June 8’s 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage, Smith — sitting on the bench minutes after being substituted — found herself near the ball as it rolled out of bounds for a Thorns throw-in.
Seemingly as a joke, Smith crawled over to the ball and slowly dragged it under her seat on Portland’s bench.
However, referee Danielle Chesky, who had booked Smith for a different moment of time-wasting in the 89th minute, was not in a mood for such goofery. Chesky presented Smith with a second yellow card, sending her off and triggering an automatic one-game ban.
Sophia Smith’s 2nd yellow. Both her yellows were for time wasting 😭 pic.twitter.com/JF1yJiTTn4
— Women’s Footy 🏁 (@womenxfootball) June 9, 2024
Smith served her suspension in a scoreless draw with the Seattle Reign on Sunday, but in the meantime the drama was going on behind the scenes.
On Tuesday, the NWSL announced that Portland had appealed the suspension, which per league policy allowed the Thorns to make their case to an independent review panel.
The panel, per the league, “unanimously (i) denied the appeal, and (ii) determined the appeal was frivolous.”
This may sound like simple public shaming from the league, but the word “frivolous” is specifically in the league’s operations manual, and appeals that cross that line come with a significant punishment.
Portland will lose a $10,000 bond (something the league requires all clubs to post as a deterrent for appealing suspensions without cause), as well as the right to appeal any further suspensions for the remainder of the 2024 season as well as the entire 2025 season, all the way through the playoffs.
Additionally, the league rules require that frivolous appeals are met with a doubling of the discipline involved, meaning that the NWSL initially extended Smith’s suspension and increased her fine.
However, the NWSL Players Association has the right to appeal discipline on a player’s behalf, and in this case it intervened on Smith’s behalf.
Per the NWSL, a review committee unanimously agreed with the NWSLPA’s position, making Smith eligible to play this weekend and helping her keep a little more cash in her pocket.
However, that has nothing to do with the punishment doled out for the Thorns, whose lost bond and inability to appeal further disciplinary action remain in place.
[lawrence-related id=75625,75112,75584]