USWNT star Sophia Wilson has made it look easy since returning from pregnancy. But that doesn’t mean it is.

WASHINGTON — On the surface, it seems Sophia Wilson hasn’t missed a beat since coming back from giving birth to her first child. Even veteran U.S. national team fans might think that, since many players have done the same thing in recent years.

While it has become a regular sight, that doesn’t mean it should be taken for granted. It takes a lot of work to get back to playing shape, never mind Wilson’s elite level. The 26-year-old striker has 13 goals and five assists in 27 games this year for her club, the Portland Thorns; and one goal in five games for her country.

“I don’t think most people, aside from the ones who have done exactly this, know exactly what goes into it and the day-to-day,” Wilson said in a news conference Friday, as she got ready for Saturday’s series opener with World Cup champion Spain (2:30 p.m., TBS, Telemundo 62). “It is challenging, and it’s a lot of energy.”

Gigi Wilson celebrated her first birthday last month. She’s a social media celebrity in her own right on Sophia’s Instagram account, and has an army of unofficial aunts among her mother’s teammates. She also has a pro athlete as a father, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson.

But that doesn’t lessen the amount of work involved. Sophia cited a recent example of when she took Gigi for a swimming lesson on the morning of a Thorns game.

“I was literally in the pool thinking, ‘Oh my god, I have a game tonight,” she said. “So I think it’s just a balance. I feel like people, maybe they see me show up ready for a game, but they don’t know the whole morning that went on before that, or the whole night of waking up five times a night.”

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Wilson was happy to credit everyone who has helped her along the way, including the many years of mothers on the U.S. team who preceded Smith on the trail.

“I definitely feel really lucky that I’m in the position that I’m in,” she said. “I feel lucky that I’ve had so much support in getting back, and support while I was pregnant, and I think that helped my transition back on to the field be a lot easier. … I think it’s the other moms who are in this environment that get it, and I feel like that kind of connects us all without even us knowing it."

One got a mention by name, Crystal Dunn. The longtime do-it-all player was Wilson’s Thorns teammate from 2020-23, and a U.S. teammate through her retirement — including on the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winners. Dunn’s son Marcel, now 4, was along for a lot of the ride.

“I got to watch her become a mom, and I feel like she’s one of the main people that kind of gave me the confidence to know that I could also become a mom and come back stronger and compete at a high level,” Wilson said.

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U.S. manager Emma Hayes has long championed putting players’ health front and center, including everything that goes into pregnancy. She had plenty to say when asked about Wilson’s process.

“I think she recovered well after giving birth,” Hayes said. “Everybody’s different in how that happens postpartum. I think she had a really strong foundation, good preseason.”

Analyzing Wilson’s play this year, the manager spoke of the goals scored, but also the combination work with teammates that is a big part of the U.S. playbook.

“She’s always so determined to score goals,” Hayes said. “But really, how she links with the rest, and whether that’s in an attacking sense or defending sense, is what I think truly sets her apart. … Having ‘Soph’ back at a really good level has been fun to see this camp, and I’m looking forward to watching her play [Saturday].”

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Sonia Bermúdez’s name might not ring too many bells among newer women’s soccer fans. She became Spain’s manager in August of last year, and spent all but one of her 18 playing seasons with Spanish clubs.

But the one exception was in 2014, when she played for the former Western New York Flash in the NWSL’s second season. The club had one of the most loaded rosters in league history, with an attack starring Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, and Australia’s Sam Kerr.

Bermúdez was more often a substitute than a starter, but her four goals were good enough for fourth-best on the team. (Unsurprisingly, the big three took the top spots.)

“I came from a background of playing at Barcelona, and I remember back then the style was muy de toque,” Bermúdez said, referring to the stylish passing game that helped the Spanish club become one of the world’s elite.

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“Then I came to the United States, and the game was more about transitions, back-and-forth play,” she continued. “You had to be in peak physical condition, and I think that’s the kind of soccer the U.S. excels at, right?”

That’s still true these days, though American players have more savvy in their game now. At the same time, Spain has proven it can run, and throw an elbow or two when needed.

But Bermúdez never played against the U.S. The nations’ first meeting was in 2019, two years after she retired from the national team. So these games will have some extra meaning for her.

“Now that so much time has passed, and having had the good fortune to play in this league, it’s special to be able to return to this country and face them in a new way,” she said.