Why Sam Mewis Is One of the Best Players in the World Right Now

May 19, 2021
By Hannah Lichtenstein

Over the last year and a half or so, Sam Mewis has quickly ascended the ranks of the best players in the world. The lists will tell you that. The pundits will tell you that. Her play on the field will tell you that.

The midfielder has always been an incredible talent, and the teams she’s been on have tended to have a lot of success (UCLA has only one won women’s soccer championship in its history, guess who was on that team?)

NWSL fans have long known how dominant and dangerous she can be. But now she’s in her prime. She’s been around the block a few times. And she’s taken her game to another level. Let’s look at this.

You could say the notch began to turn sometime around the 2019 World Cup. Though Rapinoe and Lavelle got more of the spotlight, Mewis was pivotal in the US’ run to their fourth trophy. And Mewis just kept churning out great performance after great performance for the national team from there. She began to start more consistently. She began to score more goals. She looked as in control and confident as any midfielder anywhere in the world. And other people started to notice. People like those working within Manchester City. She made the move abroad and embraced the challenge of European soccer. The 2020 US Soccer Player of the Year recognized that getting uncomfortable will help make her even better.

But, really, what is it exactly that makes Sam Mewis so good? Unsurprisingly, it’s more than one thing. It’s even more than a couple of things, really.

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She’s a Complete Midfielder

She’s maybe the most complete midfielder in the women’s game right now. On the defensive end, she’s smart. She knows how to use her body, win 50/50s and – this is something that has become more and more important in the women’s game – she knows how to keep the ball when she wins it. There’s little fancy stuff for her. Mewis will win a ball, settle it, and pass it out to help reset her team. It’s that first little moment – that moment of transition – that Mewis knows how to navigate so well.

She’s Great on Offence

Her offensive skills are, in my opinion, even more impressive. As I said, she’s great at distribution. She knows how to ping long balls to players dozens of yards away to spring an attack. And when she isn’t dishing passes, and the ball is at her feet, it’s really at her feet. She keeps close control of it on the dribble.

When it comes to the final third, more and more, both her positioning around the box and finishing has gotten better. She’s found a sweet spot for trailing into the 18, waiting for slotted balls from flank players driving to the endline. Mewis isn’t all about the assists and doing the quiet work anymore. She’s banging in goals for club and country.

Finally, you add in the not-so-subtle fact that she’s 6’0 and the impressive fitness level that sees her cover lots of miles on the field and… voila: a one-of-a-kind player.

Featured Image via Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images