Idaho native joins the world’s best women’s soccer club. ‘I can’t wait to be here’

BOISE — The top women’s soccer club in the world recently received an injection of Idaho talent.

Boise native Sofia Huerta joined France’s Olympique Lyonnais on loan last week, leaving her longtime home in Seattle to suit up for the European powerhouse for the 2024-25 season, which starts Friday.

Lyon holds a record eight European championships. No other club has won more than four Champions League titles.

“As a little girl growing up in Boise, I had a dream of playing professional soccer, and I have been so lucky to achieve that dream,” Huerta, 31, said in a statement on Instagram.

“Throughout my career, I also have dreamt of playing in Europe and competing in the Champions League, and now I have this unique opportunity to go on loan to Olympique Lyonnais.”

Huerta previously trained with the French club in 2020 when it owned the Seattle Reign. She signed a three-year contract extension with Seattle in April and will remain under contract through 2027. But the club agreed to let her play in France for an undisclosed transfer fee.

“I loved my time here,” Huerta said in a video produced by the French club, often referred to as OL. “I can’t wait to be here for a longer length of time — to play games and to represent OL, wear the crest on my jersey, and to win the league and to win Champions League.”

The 2011 Centennial High grad was the first Idaho native to play for the U.S. men’s or women’s soccer team at a World Cup in 2023. While she did not make the team for this summer’s Olympics, she remains a stalwart in the National Women’s Soccer League. The 10-year veteran is tied for the league’s career assists record (31) and ranks seventh in league history with 188 regular-season appearances.

Huerta also previously played three seasons on loan in Australia, helping Sydney win a league title in 2019. But those loans came during the NWSL’s offseason. She will miss Seattle’s final six games this season and potentially the start of the 2025 season while playing with Lyon.

“This is not a goodbye, Seattle,” Huerta said in her statement. “This is just an ‘I’ll be back soon.'”