Sophia Smith may be out with an injury, but so far nobody has come close to touching the Portland Thorns star in the NWSL Golden Boot race.

While it’s tight atop the table, with just four goals separating six players, Smith has retained the lead despite missing two consecutive matchweeks with an MCL sprain. She leads the way with 11 goals, while Ashley Hatch and Kerolin have nine, and neither of them found the back of the net this weekend.

So what makes the 23-year-old forward the front-runner for the Golden Boot, even with her injury keeping her off the pitch?

Simply put: Other players have failed to step up. Her Thorns teammate Morgan Weaver is the only player to have been consistent in her scoring over the last three weeks, tallying three goals in three games to bring herself within four goals of Smith. Weaver is tied with Debinha of the Kansas City Current and Lynn Williams of Gotham FC with seven on the season.

Yet with three games left in the regular season, the idea that Weaver, Debinha or Williams could tie or overcome Smith is a stretch.

Looking at the two players just two goals behind to Smith, Hatch has two goals in her last five games for the Washington Spirit. And while she had not gone more than one regular-season match without scoring since June, that changed in September, as she has not scored in each of Washington’s last two games.

While Hatch could get two goals in the next three games to close out the season, that would be a big ask against Kansas City, OL Reign and the North Carolina Courage. Both the Reign and the Courage have been defensively sound this season.

Additionally, Hatch hasn’t scored against Kansas City or OL Reign yet in the 2023 regular season, and she scored just once against North Carolina all the way back in April.

Kerolin’s output has been similar, with two goals in the last five games for the Courage. Her stats are buoyed by a hat trick scored against Chicago in June. And with games against OL Reign, the San Diego Wave and the Spirit coming up, it could be difficult for her to close the gap with Smith. The 23-year-old forward failed to score in North Carolina’s first game against the Reign and scored one each against San Diego and Washington.

And even if either Kerolin or Hatch were to match Smith’s 11 goals, Smith holds the edge in the tiebreaker with five assists, which sits second in the league behind teammate Sam Coffey. Kerolin has just three assists, while Hatch has two. So both players more than likely would need to surpass the 11-goal threshold to beat Smith, which would mean scoring at least a goal in each of their final three games.

While not statistically impossible, that does mean Smith still holds the best odds to take home the Golden Boot for the 2023 NWSL season. The reigning league MVP scored six goals in June ahead of the World Cup, and that surge could propel her to the trophy even as she remains sidelined week-to-week with her knee injury.

Sophia Smith is THAT girl.

A video to remind you 🌹⚽️#WePlayHere pic.twitter.com/r6z8w3KZYB

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 23, 2023

Like the US, Germany — the USWNT's next opponent — also emerged from Thursday's group stage play on top, becoming the only other women's soccer team at the 2024 Paris Olympics to win their first game by three or more goals.

Germany took down Australia 3-0 in their opening match, setting the stage for a blockbuster weekend showdown with the US as both teams vie for group stage dominance. With both earning three points and a +3 goal differential on Thursday, the US and Germany will strive to render their respective third games as meaningless as possible.

A win on Sunday by either Germany or the US — combined with a draw between Australia and Zambia — would guarantee a quarterfinal berth for whichever team finishes the weekend with six points in Group B.

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Injuries could affect USWNT vs. Germany outcome

Availability will be a key factor in the USWNT's success, with the status of strikers Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw still unclear after Thursday's substitutions.

Germany is still adjusting to the loss of star midfielder Lena Oberdorf to a pre-Olympics ACL injury, but they looked in fine form against Australia with goals from Marina Hegering, Lea Schuller, and Jule Brand sealing the shutout win.

Sunday's match will be the first between the pair since splitting two friendly results in November 2022. Notably, in the second half of their last head-to-head, forwards Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson fueled a comeback win after an early goal from Brand.

Elsewhere at the Paris Olympics soccer tournament

On a mission to avenge their 2023 World Cup group stage loss, Spain looked as sharp as ever in their 2-1 victory over Japan. In the other Group C match, Brazil held on to defeat Nigeria 1-0 in an end-to-end battle featuring a goal from Gabi Nunes and an assist by soon-to-retire legend Marta.

Meanwhile in Group A, a troubled Team Canada bounced back from 1-0 down against New Zealand to win it 2-1, but their off-the-field scandal continues to brew as head coach Bev Priestman was sent home on suspension for the remainder of the Summer Games.

Current Group A leaders France eked out a 3-2 victory over Colombia, nearly giving up their 3-0 lead behind a brace from star Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Germany

The USWNT will take the Olympic pitch against Germany at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on NBC networks.

The USWNT earned a comfortable win in their opening match of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, defeating Zambia 3-0 behind a trio of first-half goals.

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Opting to keep her starting XI fairly the same as the team's send-off matches, head coach Emma Hayes's USWNT got their attack flowing early, scoring all three goals before the 26-minute mark.

Trinity Rodman opened the scoring off an assist from Lindsey Horan, before Mallory Swanson scored a brace in the span of 66 seconds, with assists by Horan and Sophia Smith. Zambia played the majority of the match a player down, as defender Pauline Zulu was shown a red card in the 34th minute for denying a clear and obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

USWNT alternate Croix Bethune now Olympics medal-eligible

The day began with a big switch, as Hayes tapped her newly sanctioned ability to temporarily activate an alternate in place of Jaedyn Shaw, who was deemed out with a lower leg injury. Recent call-up Croix Bethune took Shaw's place on the bench, becoming medal-eligible should the US take home any hardware.

If her fitness allows, Shaw will be allowed to return to the USWNT's official 18-player roster before the team's second group stage match on Sunday.

Second-half subs spotlight USWNT defense

After a knock to the ankle, Smith was subbed out of the match just before the halftime whistle blew. Rose Lavelle was also substituted at halftime, as she continues to return to full fitness following a late scratch in the team's final tune-up match.

With substitution patterns somewhat disrupting the flow of attack, US center-backs Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson successfully fended off talented forwards Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji to secure the clean sheet.

Ultimately, after the USWNT's dominant first half, the front line appeared to stall, allowing the defense to take centerstage as they crossed off that crucial first step toward the knockout stages.

In just its second Olympics as an official sport, skateboarding will touch down in Paris for the single-day street event on Sunday, July 28th.

Twenty-two skaters representing 11 countries are gearing up to show off their best tricks to five judges, who will assess their performances on a scale of 0-100 points.

How the street competition works

Street competitions replicate an urban environment, with obstacles like ledges, handrails, and stairs integrated throughout the course.

Athletes attempt five tricks in each of two 45-second runs. However, only their best run and top two tricks will count toward their overall score. The top eight skaters after the preliminary round will advance to the final, which follows the same format.

Team USA's medal-hunting skateboarding trio

Countries are held to a maximum of three skaters for each competition (street and park). In the 2024 Olympic street contest, five nations qualified a full trio — including the US.

Under USA Skateboarding coach Alexis Sablone — who placed fourth in the Tokyo Olympics' street competition — the lone competing Olympic veteran is 27-year-old Mariah Duran, who hopes to add an Olympic medal to the six X Games honors already in her trophy case.

Joining Duran — and repping Olympic skateboarding’s sizable youth contingent — are 19-year-old Poe Pinson and 16-year-old Paige Heyn, who snagged bronze at the 2023 Pan Am Games.

Top contenders look to improve upon Tokyo Olympics

The US will undoubtedly face steep competition in Paris, led by perennial top contenders Japan.

With six of the world's top 10 street skateboarders hailing from Japan, the three-skater rule forced them to leave behind some big names. That includes Momiji Nishiya, who won the sport’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in Tokyo at 13 years old. With Nishiya failing to qualify, Japan’s 19-year-old reigning bronze medalist Funa Nakayama and 14-year-old world No. 1 Coco Yoshizawa are primed to take her place on the podium.

Another major threat is Brazilian phenom Rayssa Leal. The 16-year-old was impressing Tony Hawk at age eight, and looks poised to one-up her silver medal performance in Tokyo on Sunday.

Where to watch USA Skateboarding's Olympic street team

Both the 6 AM ET prelims and 11 AM ET final will go down on Sunday, July 28th, with live coverage on NBC platforms.

In the latest episode of Just Women's Sports' 1v1 With Kelley O'Hara, Gotham FC and USWNT star Rose Lavelle joins Olympic gold medalist and retired USWNT star Kelley O'Hara for a one-on-one conversation about the upcoming Paris Olympics.

We hear from Lavelle about her first impressions of new USWNT coach Emma Hayes, her international competition journey so far, and what it's like being one of the veterans on this roster.

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.