Her 2025 has been stellar.
For some players, a loan is a necessary springboard at the start of their professional careers that enables them to gain rhythm and valuable experience. While some short-term moves can go poorly, the right situation at the proper time can provide a boost. Sam Meza has been enjoying a strong second season, rising all the way to the United States Women’s National Team after a brief stop with Dallas Trinity. The 23-year-old Seattle Reign midfielder should continue her ascension with further development.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Meza displayed an “advanced soccer IQ” at an early age as an attacking midfielder and competed with Dallas Kicks, reaching the final of the US Youth Soccer National Championships and receiving Best XI honors. She then joined Solar Soccer Club and was twice included on her conference’s Best XI team. The highly rated prospect’senrollment in a private institution enabled her to travel for youth international soccer.
After initially committing to the University of Virginia, Meza matriculated to the University of North Carolina and featured in 19 matches during her first season, contributed two goals and five assists, and received Third Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and ACC All-Freshman Team honors; Total Football Analysis praised her as a “terrific ball progressor who is capable playing off few touches and instinctively looking to fill attacking spaces on either side of the forwards.” Her sophomore campaign included another 16 appearances as well as being named Second Team All-ACC. She picked up two goals and four assists in 16 fixtures as a junior and garnered First Team All-ACC and Third Team All-America but was forced to miss the run to the NCAA Tournament final due to an injury. Her collegiate career concluded by hitting the field 21 times and being added to the All-ACC Second Team.
“When she’s out there, no one can touch her,” said former UNC head coach Anson Dorrance. “It’s not like she’s just an attacking player. Defensively, she’s one of the greatest midfielders I’ve ever coached in my life. This is a player who can play at that [elite] level. She basically takes the game by the throat and says, ‘Give me the ball, everyone get the hell out of my way, and if you dare invade my territory, I’m stripping you.’ It’s not complex, and it’s not calming. It’s the gift of fury. It’s a territorial imperative. ‘I’m going to dominate any ball near me.’”
Meza was thenselected by Seattle Reign in the second round of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League Draft at the 17th overall pick, with the club trading up to get her. She signed a contract through the end of 2024 with a one-year option. However, she struggled for minutes in her debut season and made a mere two appearances in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
In August, the Reign picked up her contract option and sent her on a half-season loan to the Dallas Trinity in the nascent USL Super League in order to “get increased game exposure at the professional level and continue to progress as a player.” She hit the ground running with immediate playing time and contributed two goals and one assist in 13 appearances; USL Tactics described her as “efficient and dynamic down the middle,” serving as “a linchpin between the lines.” Her performances earned Player of the Month along with being on the Team of the Month for November.
The loan enabled her to “regain her rhythm” and provided a lift to her young professional career. “I always tell people I’m a feeler, and what that really means is I need to be in those environments, in the game, to kind of get my flow back,” Meza shared with Sounder at Heart. “When I play, it’s very much a flow. I don’t think, I just do. For me to be able to replicate that in practice, I needed to get games. The biggest thing was playing minutes, but also just giving me some time to learn a little bit more about myself and who I am.”
Upon returning to Seattle “fit and ready to go,” Meza quickly became a starter this season, displaying a “relentless work rate on and off the ball.” She has made 21 appearances and contributed two assists, including the match-winner in May’s 1-0 victory over Racing Louisville, leading the nervy charge for a playoff spot. The club signed her to a new contract through 2028, citing her “inspiring growth” and “driven” mentality.
At the international level, Meza — who is of Mexican descent and had kept that door open — began competing with the United States in the Under-15 group and scored six goals on the way to winning the 2016 CONCACAF U-15 Championship. She subsequently was a part of the sides that claimed the 2018 and 2020 CONCACAF U-17 and U-20 Championships, respectively, accompanying the former squad to the ensuing World Cup. After competing with the Under-23 team against Germany, her first senior-call-up followed, with an 87-minute appearance in the second 4-0 victory over Ireland and substitution into the friendly win against Canada.
Standing at five feet, four inches tall, Meza is a hard-working, high-energy, and versatile central midfielder who “brings a lot of presence” and racks up multiple tackles, interceptions, and shot blocks in every match. She is a “reliable metronome” who is very “comfortable on the ball” and “offers a presence in central spaces” by “disrupting play, reading the game well, and connecting possession.” Coaches praise her ability to make a quick turn out of pressure after receiving a pass and add the “final product” in the final third, while a recent article following a narrow win over Racing Louisville described her as “an absolute beast breaking things up and recovering even when outnumbered.”
“I like to have the ball,” Meza told All For XI. “It’s kinda like dancing really, you kinda have a little bit of the Latin kinda style to it. I like to drive at people, I like to distribute, I like to go one-on-one… If I lose a ball I’m on a mission to get the ball back and I’m going to get it back. Or at least I’m going to put my team in the best position to get the ball back because I lost it. Defensively, I’m always on the front foot. I’m small but I’ll get stuck in, I really will. I’m not afraid to get stuck in.”
Meza has enjoyed a strong second professional season, becoming a key player for her club in the NWSL after a loan down the pyramid. Ascents can happen quickly in the sport, as proved by her rise from starter to USWNT newcomer. Her trajectory should continue upward, as time is on her side, although the center midfield depth chart can be a tough group to crack.
Category: General Sports
