Sophia Delacour

Sophia Delacour

Personal information
Full name	Sophia Lucille Delacour
Date of birth	(2015-02-08)8 February 2015 (aged 46)
Place of birth	Lafayette, Louisiana
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current team	Olympique Lyonnais
Number	37
Youth career
2028-2030	Baltimore Celtic
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2032–2033	Florida State Seminoles	39	(17)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2034-2037	Club Key West	66	(33)
2038-	Olympique Lyonnais	0	(0)
National team
2031-2032	United States U17	5	(2)
2032	United States U18	2	(1)
2033	United States U19	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Sophia Lucille Delacour (born 8 February, 2015) is an American professional footballer who plays as a winger for Olympique Lyonnais. She made her professional breakthrough with Club Key West of the Grassroots Soccer League. Eligible to represent either the United States, France, or Wakanda internationally, Delacour was capped by the United States at under-17 level before stating a desire to play for France in April 2033.

Early life

Sophia was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, to NSFL Hall of Famer Antoine Delacour and his wife Jasmine. The young couple moved to Baltimore shortly after, when Antoine was drafted by the Baltimore Hawks of the NSFL. At age three, Sophia and her family moved to Reisterstown. Spending large parts of her childhood around professional athletes, thanks to her father, Sophia developed something of an obsession with sports. It was not until spending a summer with her father's cousin, Maurice Picard, of the SHL's Los Angeles Panthers, that her love of sport crystallised into a love of soccer. While staying with Maurice in Los Angeles, Sophia attended a Los Angeles Galaxy match, and developed an interest in the sport. The following year, Maurice took Sophia to the Women's World Cup final, where the large crowds solidified her desire to become a professional soccer player.

Though her father would have preferred that she focused on running track – she ran a 100m personal best of 11.42 seconds in high school – Sophia insisted on playing soccer, and eventually, she managed to get into the Baltimore Celtic squad. Her middle school did not compete in soccer, but once Sophia started high school, she was able to compete to a reasonable standard. Her soccer ability, combined with solid grades, meant that she would eventually be offered a partial scholarship at Florida State University. She committed to the Seminoles, disappointing her father, who had hoped she would attend LSU, his alma mater.

College career

At Florida State, Sophia had a shaky start, struggling to understand her role in the team, having been primarily a goalscorer in high school. Her brief time with the United States Under-17s would be helpful, though, as she received solid advice from coaches and teammates. By the end of her freshman year, she had adapted her game into that of a provider, linking up well with her fellow forwards to end the season with twelve assists and four goals.

She would build on this in her sophomore year, reintroducing her goalscoring to her game, in the absence of the previous year's top scorer. At the end of the season, she led the Seminoles for assists (21) and was second on the team for goals (13). That summer, she travelled to France to attend a trial at CNFE Clairefontaine. Though she was unsuccessful, she was offered contracts by several professional sides in Europe, including West Ham, and Bordeaux. She declined the offers, as she was not interested in moving to England, and could not bring herself to play for any French side other than Olympique Lyonnais.

Shortly after her failed trial at Clairefontaine, Sophia was contacted by a new league in the United States, who were holding trials and wanted her to sign up. Having decided that college soccer was not of a high enough standard to continue her development, she decided to accept the offer of a trial with the Grassroots Soccer League.

Club career

Prior to the player auctions beginning at the formation of the league, Sophia played for the American Eagles triallist team, and was one of the worst-performing players in the tournament. She would later blame the coaching, having been played predominantly out of position, in an unfamiliar role. Her body language and poor performances during the tournament did not go unnoticed, and she was, as a result, not expected to be a primary target in the player auctions. In the end, she became the subject of a two-way bidding war between Key West and Malta, with the former winning out. Sophia would later admit that she had not been keen on a move to Malta, and was happy to be returning to Florida.

Key West

Early in the 2034-35 season, Sophia established herself as a key player for the Flamingos, earning player of the game honours in the opening two games of the season, and demonstrating her threat from the right flank. As the season wore on, at the urging of manager Curb Ishley, she developed other aspects of her game rather than relying on her pace. At the tail end of the season, Key West were clear at the top of the league, with Sophia one of the media's picks for the MVP award. The Flamingos went on to win the first GRSL Premiership title, but were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Grassroots International Cup.

The following season, teams were a bit more aware of the threat posed by Delacour on the right flank, but many were unable to do much about it. Sophia formed part of a devastating Key West attacking front, alongside top scorer Mako Mendonca, the previous season's assist leader Rinji Oda, and Portuguese wonderkid Jay Cue. They would finish the Premiership season in second place behind Casper F.C. but would win the Cup.

Her third season in the GRSL built impressively on the previous two, as she managed to average a goal every three games – an impressive return for a winger – while also averaging close to one assist per game. Once again, Key West would finish the Premiership season in second place behind Casper, though they retained the Cup.

Lyon

In the 2038 offseason, Delacour shocked fans of Key West by confirming that she would be leaving the club. In a public statement, Delacour stressed that she had "loved [her] time with the Flamingos" but that she had "wanted to play for OL since [she] was a kid", calling them "the best women's side in the world". The move was finalised shortly after, for an undisclosed fee, and Delacour was unveiled as a Lyon player a week later.

International career

After featuring five times for the United States – the nation of her birth – at under-17 level, Sophia declared her desire to represent France at senior level. Being eligible for France via her maternal grandfather, and idolising many French players, some dismissed this as wishful thinking. However, after featuring at U-17, U-18 and U-19 level, when the latest invite came for the United States under-19 camp, in 2033, Sophia declined, hoping for a call-up to the French side.

Style of play

Predominantly a left-footed player, though she most often lines up on the right-wing, Delacour often cuts inside on her stronger foot to move to a more central attacking position.

Delacour also possesses great speed, often taking up a position from which she can attempt to beat the offside trap and get through on goal for a one-on-one. Her shooting style has gradually developed over the years into a more technical approach, where placement is more important than power. Early in her professional career, Sophia has often been criticised for being a somewhat selfish player, often opting to shoot even when there may be a better-positioned teammate. At the request of manager Curb Ishley at Key West, Sophia has also developed her set piece ability, practicing corner kicks extensively. She was widely considered the best corner taker in the GRSL Premier during her time there.

Many aspects of Sophia's game are modelled on two of her favourite players, Olympique Lyonnais winger Élodie Thomis, and French legend Thierry Henry. During her time at Key West, however, she visibly attempted to emulate her all-time favourite player, Louisa Cadamuro, even more. An increased tactical awareness was visible, as was better vision in terms of spotting teammates' runs, leading to a dramatic increase in the number of key passes produced. Shortly before leaving Key West, there had been talk of Delacour potentially converting to play central midfield or wing back, after her somewhat impressive display as a fullback in the 2038 All-Star game and overall improvement.

Personal life

Sophia has two younger siblings; Elaine and Raphael. Sophia is a big fan of Olympique Lyonnais, and has been since she was a child.

She was also known to volunteer as a coach for elementary school children near Key West's training facility, reasoning that young children need more encouragement to play soccer in the United States.

Outside of football, Sophia has strong fashion interests, and has modelled in the past. In 2037, she announced that she had completed her degree in Retail Merchandising and Product Development at Florida State, and would now be moving forward with her plans to launch her own brand, in partnership with her mother.

Career statistics

Club	Season	League							Cup			Total
		Division	Regular season			Play-offs
			Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Seminoles	2032	NCAA – ACC	13	5	19	3	0	1	—			16	5	20
	2033		26	12	21	5	2	5				31	14	26
	Total		39	17	40	8	2	6	—			47	19	46
Key West	2034-35	GRSL	20	8	7	—			1	0	0	21	8	7
	2035-36		20	9	9				4	2	1	24	11	10
	2036-37		17	12	14				4	2	2	21	14	16
	Total		57	29	30	—			9	4	3	66	33	33
Olympique Lyonnais	2037-38	D1 Féminine	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			98	51	72	8	2	6	9	4	3	103	52	79

Notes

Honours

Team

• Grassroots Soccer League Premiership (1): 2034-35
• Grassroots International Cup (2): 2035-36, 2036-37

Individual

• Grassroots Soccer League All-Star (3): 2034-35, 2035-36, 2036-37