In 2023, Sam Coffey wasn't selected to represent the U.S. women's national team at the FIFA World Cup. It was an omission that indelibly changed the then 24-year-old. Coffey has always been a battler - a true 50/50 ball-winning six who was raised in Sleepy Hollow, New York and brought up in a family of journalists.
Coffey, too, studied journalism and her inquisitive nature and problem-solving demeanor come through in the way she plays. She's a solution-seeker who finds ways out of pressure on the pitch and constantly looks to tell a story through the way she commands the midfield.
In 2021, Coffey was the 12th pick by the Portland Thorns in the NWSL College Draft. She was fresh off leading the Nittany Lions to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, but in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was uncertain. Eventually, in 2022, Coffey signed a two-year contract with the Thorns and has been with them ever since.
In her rookie season she won a NWSL Championship, and now, three-years later is the captain of the Portland squad.
In 2024, Coffey was named to Emma Hayes' Olympic roster - just one year after she hadn't made the World Cup cut. By making the Olympic team, she would experience her first international championship along with such newcomers as Jaedyn Shaw, Jenna Nighswonger and Korbin Albert.
Although Coffey has really only been with the USWNT since 2024 on the international stage, her presence is that of an experienced veteran, prompting Hayes to say, "They don’t make players like Sam Coffey anymore."
After helping the USWNT bring home gold in Paris, it's been a whirlwind for Coffey, who's career continues to rise.
"She's in the form of her life," Hayes said after the USWNT's recent friendlies. "She's getting better with every game and I think she's finding her flow."
The role that Coffey plays for the USWNT is essential. She binds the team, the glue that holds each line together and creates the rhythm of the game. Coffey's style of play is very much old-school in the way she's just a ball-winning defensive midfielder. However, in recent years has been challenged to play further up the field and experiment in the double pivot spot.
The result? She now has four goals across all 38 appearances, with two of those coming in the past round of friendlies.
As the USWNT prepares for the 2027 World Cup, Coffey has emerged into a leader. Though only 26, she's viewed st a veteran on this current inexperienced squad (Hayes left off a number of top players for the recent friendlies).
In matches against Ireland and Canada, Coffey was paired in the double pivot with Claire Hutton, the 19-year-old also out of New York. Hutton and Coffey play similar in their mannerism - safe, composed, and positionally locked in at all times.
Hayes having them play a double pivot pulls them out of their typical spots and challenges them to play higher up the pitch. The relationship between the two players sprouted quickly.
"We have trust in each other," Hutton said of Coffey. "We have trust in different people having the ball. And I think that just goes to show that the way Emma is creating the team culture in the chemistry between us is unmatched."
Trust is the name of the game, with Hayes saying, "I feel like everybody is not just trusting the process, but they're carrying out all the things we ask them to do. And know everybody showed themselves so so well."
