ORANGE PARK, Fla. — After helping the U-16 Women's Youth National Soccer Team win the Friendship Tournament in Turkey last month, St. Johns Country Day rising junior Sydney Schmidt has been selected again for the national youth team for a two-game international series against Germany.
The dream of playing soccer began way before Schmidt could even create explicit memories as a child. And if she remembers those memories, most of them involve her dad pushing her around in a stroller at various soccer events.
"Getting in it so early, he would always go out and train with me whenever I want. He's not one of those dads that's like 'Okay, this is what you need to do better. Blah, blah, blah. You have to go out and train.' Like, he's really let me pick and choose what I want to do, which I feel like has made my love for the game grow even more because it's coming from me, not him," Schmidt said.
Having been immersed in the game from such a young age, dealing with high expectations has always been the norm for Schmidt.
"People obviously talk. They know who I am by this point, but I feel like staying humble and knowing that every single day, every single time I step on the field I'm going to get better. And I push myself to keep getting better because I don't have a ceiling where something's going to stop me. I'm not going to quit. I'm going to keep going until the day I retire," Schmidt added.
The midfielder's physical attributes make her a versatile asset for her teams, but she believes her biggest strength is her will to win.
"In a past interview that coach Pickett had, he was like 'She wants to win the warmup drill.' But honestly, that's true. I feel like I'm a competitor and always have wanted to win my whole life. I don't like coming second," Schmidt said.
Growing up alongside the St. Johns Country Day soccer program, which won 11 straight state titles, has been a strong influence on Sydney's game.
"It's made me such a better player getting to play against the best players coming out of this area. Being able to watch them and be like 'Oh, that move was really cool. Let me try and learn that and implement things like that in my game,' " Schmidt said.
She cites her most influential role model as Carson Pickett, having closely watched her journey while growing up. Sydney hopes to continue to follow in Carson's footsteps and play professionally and for the U.S. Women's National Team.