Sofia Cantore has joined Washington Spirit from Juventus.
The 25-year-old forward had signed a contract extension in January with the Turin club until June 2028, after a title-winning successful Serie A season, but will now become the first ever Italian player to appear in the NWSL.
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Cantore registered 13 goals and six assists across all competitions, over doubling her eight goal contributions from the season before.
“Sofia is an important signing for this Spirit team as we continue to build up our roster to compete for trophies,” said incoming head coach Adrian Gonzalez. “Her extensive experience in the Italian leagues and exceptional talent in the attacking third will help add a new layer for the Spirit moving forward.”
Cantore had been at Juventus since 2017 where she signed as a 17-year-old from then-third tier Fiammamonza, after helping them achieve promotion to Serie B.
After consecutive loan spells to Hellas Verona, Florentia and Sassuolo she returned to the Juventus first team ahead of the 2022-23 season. She hasn’t played below 20 matches a season since, winning the Serie A title again in the 2018-19 campaign.
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Washington Spirit are currently fourth in the NWSL after 12 games, eight points off league leaders Kansas City Current.
Last season, in 2024, they finished second in the regular season, four points behind the side they eventually lost 1-0 to in the Championship game, Orlando Pride.
Cantore has played 36 times for Italy, scoring five, after progressing through the national team’s youth system.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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