Sophia Smith Naomi Girma Sofia Huerta USWNt split

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'We’re going to make sure your light never goes out' - USWNT stars release powerful mental health initiative ahead of 2023 Women's World Cup in tribute to Katie Meyer

U.S. women's national team stars Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith and Sofia Huerta are leading a mental health initiative ahead of the Women's World Cup.

Girma leads USWNT mental health initiative
Inspired by close friend Meyer
Supported by Smith, Huerta & more

WHAT HAPPENED? In an open letter, Girma paid a beautiful tribute to her friend and former Stanford University team-mate Katie Meyer, who took her own life last year. The loss of someone so close to her motivated Girma to lead an initiative "to destigmatize the conversation around mental health" which will see FOX Sports dedicate one percent of its broadcast coverage to "spotlighting the importance of mental health" during the tournament, in a partnership with Common Goal.

A collective video was released on Tuesday as part of the initiative, too, with Girma, Smith and Huerta joined by USWNT stars Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz, Trinity Rodman, Alyssa Thompson, Alana Cook and Andi Sullivan to read out a powerful message about vulnerability.

WHAT THEY SAID: "The truest friend I ever had," Girma wrote of Meyer on the Players' Tribune. "The most unapologetic, positive, caring person in the world. The first person to be open and talk about her feelings. The first person you’d turn to when you needed to talk about yours. And the last person you’d think would take her own life.

"Some days, it still feels like it just happened. Some days, you have a random memory, and you feel it all again so hard. When you lose a true friend, the hardest part isn’t the big moments. It’s actually the small ones. It’s the everyday, boring moments in life that they made so fun, and so funny, and so meaningful.

"None of this would have happened without you. You touched so many people’s lives in just 22 years. You wanted to change the world more than anyone I’ve ever known. So we’re going to make sure that we carry on your legacy. We’re going to make sure that your light never goes out."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: After the World Cup, the initiative will continue, with mental health professionals to be sent to youth sports organizations in communities across the United States, "to make sure that the coaches and players have the tools and skills to know when someone is dealing with a mental health issue, and how to get the proper help", as Girma put it.

IN THREE PHOTOS: