Sofia Huerta watched one of her friends become a star during the 2015 World Cup. She watched Julie Ertz, a college and professional teammate, surprise many by claiming a starting spot for the United States and then by earning all-tournament honors for the eventual champion.
Huerta watched the tournament from afar, knowing she could have instead been a participant. But not in the way she wanted most -- or in the uniform she believed she could wear. So she watched. She gambled on herself. On Thursday she learned she won the bet. And the U.S. women's national team could be among those who share in the winnings.
A fixed player pool is perhaps the most basic challenge of assembling a national team. A coach in international soccer can't trade for Morgan Brian or use an owner's wallet to sign Neymar. Nationality is nonnegotiable. Most of the time, at least. But with confirmation Thursday that FIFA has approved a change of national association, making Huerta eligible to play for the United States instead of Mexico, U.S. coach Jill Ellis received what amounts to a potentially fortuitous free-agent addition.
Huerta was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, to an American-born mother and Mexican-born father. Judy Jensen and Mauricio Huerta met at the University of Wisconsin, lived in Mexico soon after marrying and there had their first child, Sofia's older sister, before moving to Boise.
As a result of her background, Sofia had soccer eligibility for both countries and the necessary talent to make it an issue. After she failed to make the impression she wanted during a camp with the U.S. under-20 national team, she accepted an invitation to play for Mexico. It was not an unusual move given the state of youth soccer development in both countries. She played for Mexico in the 2012 Under-20 World Cup and scored three goals in that signature youth event, one that featured the likes of Brian, Ada Hegerberg and Dzsenifer Marozsan. Based on that performance, Huerta was a likely candidate for a significant role at the senior level in the 2015 World Cup.
She instead spent that summer as one of the breakout rookies in the National Women's Soccer League, turning her prolific college scoring record at Santa Clara into goals for the Chicago Red Stars. She had up to that point played only for Mexico at the senior level in friendlies. To play a competitive game would have locked in her eligibility. Huerta couldn't shake the feeling that she was good enough to play at the highest level. So even though she had no assurances of interest from the Americans, she turned down Mexico to preserve eligibility.
"There's not a lot of people who think I can make that team," Huerta said as the 2015 World Cup unfolded. "You see it over Twitter, I hear it from a lot of people. I see people's facial expressions when I tell them I'm not playing with Mexico. It's just something I want to do for myself."
All of which makes for a nice story about someone following a dream and moving one step closer with official approval from soccer's governing body. Of course, being eligible to play for the United States isn't the same thing as making the roster -- arguably the most difficult roster to make in the women's game, given the depth of talent available in this country.
But there is a reason U.S. Soccer sent out a news release Thursday trumpeting the decision.
Huerta wants to play for the U.S. women. Not unlike her friend, she might be just what the team needs to complete its back line in time to defend its title less than two years from now in France.
A player focused on scoring goals most of her life, Huerta is an intriguing prospect for conversion into an outside back.
No matter the formation in a given game, whether as outside backs or something closer to wingbacks, Ellis wants players on the flanks who can get up the field with pace. She wants players who can deliver quality crosses but also engage in more sustained buildup. But while those are the assets she most values at the position, they have been among the most difficult pieces to locate. Even as the overall player pool begins to take on a more consistent shape a year ahead of World Cup qualifying, Ellis' latest roster includes one more foray in Stanford's Tierna Davidson, a natural midfielder who spent time at outside back with the under-20 national team this summer.
Huerta -- whose crossing longtime Santa Clara coach Jerry Smith touted as world-class even when she was at the college level -- also fits the description. While not part of the roster, she was able to train with the national team during the recent Four Nations Tournament. And Ellis mentioned her by name as one of the newcomers, along with Casey Short and Taylor Smith, who were serious contenders for future playing time alongside holdovers like Kelley O'Hara and others.
"We feel like these players give us very interesting athletic and attacking-minded options that can also defend," Ellis said in August.
What Huerta doesn't have is much experience in the role, certainly not at the highest levels of international soccer. (Like O'Hara, another converted forward, she would also be versatile enough to play elsewhere.) But perhaps Huerta has a year and a half to change that, beginning with the upcoming games against New Zealand, for which she is eligible and on hand.