Mewis sisters ready to make more USWNT history at Tokyo Olympic Games

The Mewis sisters break records. It’s what they’ve always done. From their native Hanson, Massachusetts to Tokyo, Japan, the duo have been consistent history makers. When their cleats touch the grass at Tokyo Stadium on Wednesday, Sam and Kristie Mewis will become the first set of siblings to compete in the Olympic women’s soccer tournament together.

The next step would be to actually take home a medal with the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT). 

“It feels super special,” said Kristie, speaking to the press in Houston before heading off to Tokyo. “We've literally been playing out in the backyard since I was five years old. So I think we're going to look back on this in 20 or 30 years and be like: What did we do?”

Despite being Sam’s elder, Kristie has had to wait her turn to feature for the national team at a major tournament. In 2019, Sam lifted the World Cup with the USWNT in France, and was an alternate at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. While Sam was off traveling the world, Kristie was either at home or on the sidelines.

“I think it’s kind of come full circle,” explained Kristie about how their dynamic has shifted. “For so many years, she was looking up to me as the older sister. I was always just a little bit ahead of her, because I was older. But now the roles are reversed. I get to look up to her and ask her for advice."

After a prodigious career at USWNT youth levels, Kristie initially broke through to the senior national team in 2013. At the end of the 2013 NWSL season, she was traded to the Boston Breakers and, in 2014, she was dropped from the national team in 2014. After a couple of meandering seasons in Boston, the midfielder was traded three times during the 2017 season from D.C. to Chicago, before finally landing in Houston.

Ten weeks into the 2018 NWSL season, Kristie hit her literal breaking point when she tore her ACL while playing a match at home against the Chicago Red Stars. Looking back on that moment, she believes that her lowest point was actually the beginning of her comeback. 

“I think that was the moment I realized that I didn’t feel important to myself,” confessed Mewis about how she felt in 2018. “I wanted to be wanted, and I wanted to be valued. I didn’t think other people cared or valued me anymore. People were kind of writing me off. I think that triggered something inside of me to just revamp myself and follow my dreams.” 

Then the Mewissance began.

In 2019, Kristie Mewis played in 22 of 24 matches for the Houston Dash and had her best goal return (four), since the 2015 season. That first season back from injury in Houston served as the platform to begin the “Year of Kristie” in 2020. 

“I think the Dash was the first club in a while that did believe in me," she says, "because I didn't feel very valued before I came here. When I first arrived, I immediately felt a sense of home. The club and the players and the staff were just so welcoming. I really did feel at peace here.” 

Last July, Kristie proved to be an integral piece of the Houston Dash’s historic Challenge Cup victory. She played in every match and was named in the Best XI for the tournament. In the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, she recorded an outstanding two goals and five assists in four matches, and was named the Houston Dash’s MVP for the season.

In October, Kristie’s dreams became a reality when she reunited with her sister on the national team. One month later, she made her first appearance for six years as a second half substitute against the Netherlands, where she scored a goal in her first 10 minutes on the pitch.

Her trademark left-footed strike — the "laser" — confirmed to the soccer world, and herself, that Kristie was officially back. 

“Something definitely switched for me,” she says now. “I was like: Oh my god, I could really do this. The field felt more at home, if that makes sense. I really felt like this was my time. I'm ready, and I'm back.”

Teammates, sisters, now history makers. Eight months on from Kristie’s first game back for the USA, and the NWSL all-star is finally ready to conquer an elite international soccer tournament. With sister Sam by her side, anything is possible.

“Truly, it's Sam that inspires me. I look up to her so much as a player and a person.”

The USWNT take on Sweden in Tokyo, at 3:30am CT Wednesday July 21. The match will be aired on the USA network, Telemundo and on the NBC sports app. You can find the full women's Olympic Soccer schedule here.