5. Sam Mewis – USA
Sam Mewis plays central midfielder for the United States National Team. Mewis is a visionary, a playmaker with pinpoint passing accuracy. Nearly six-feet tall, she dominates in the air. Mewis can score with her with head or foot or will gladly make an opportunity for a teammate. She had her first-ever and second World Cup goals in her debut against Thailand.
The teams Mewis plays on win. She played her college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Mewis and her UCLA teammates took home the national championship her junior year. In 2016, her second season with the Western New York Flash, she helped her team make it to, then win, the NWLS championship. Mewis remained with the Flash when they became the North Carolina Courage. She and her Courage teammates won the NWLS in 2017 and they won the league championship in 2018.
Mewis has the technical ability and strength to keep the ball in US control in the game against France. She is particularly dynamic beside her midfield teammates Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle. With those three working their magic, the US was able to dominate in their game against Sweden. The team struggled in their next game vs Spain.
Horan rested and the Spanish added numbers to the middle. Still, Mewis won the ball and made opportunities for her teammates. One pass to a charging Crystal Dunn was particularly inspiring. Look for Sam Mewis to win the ball and push it forward for the US to attack.