MEWIS Samantha

General
FOOTBALL SISTERS
She grew up playing football with her older sister Kristie, and says her sister's success drove her to become a better player early in her career. They have played on the same US senior team on several occasions, including when Sam made her senior national team debut in 2014. "She [Kristie] sparked a competitiveness in me by beating me in everything. She is my best friend and has been a huge part of my career and my life. Growing up, we really challenged each other and we always had a training partner. I was always chasing after her, trying to be as good as she was. Her journey came before all of my steps and it really validated what I wanted to do when she first got called into the national team. It was really important for both of us to have each other growing up." In November 2020, in a friendly win over the Netherlands, the sisters played their first national team match together since 2014, after Kristie returned to the US squad following a serious knee injury in 2018. "Watching her go through that and watching her come back to full form has been really rewarding for me as her sister. I'm just really excited for her and I know that she has worked so hard for this so I'm excited about the possibility of playing with her again." (Instagram profile, 03 May 2019; theathletic.co.uk, 02 Sep 2020; goal.com, 24 Nov 2020; mancity.com, 10 Aug 2020)

ALTERNATE IN RIO
She was an alternate for the US team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She travelled to Brazil with the squad and participated in training sessions, but did not play in any matches. She said the experience taught her how to be a good teammate, and motivated her to break into the first team. "I never wanted to be that close and not make it again. It wasn't about me [in Rio], and it wasn't about showing the world that I should have been on the team, it was about me being at practice and being what the other girls needed. I'm so grateful now that I had the opportunity to be an alternate, and really learn what it means to have to be selfless and contribute to the greater cause." (ussoccer.com, 23 Jun 2019)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She was elected as the vice president-treasurer of the United States Women's National Team Players Association [USWNTPA] in March 2020. (espn.co.uk, 04 Mar 2020)