Eat & Yap: Alex Scott sits down with Olivia Smith to talk Canada, Jamaica and more

Alex Scott: So I was told I had to bring maple syrup.

Olivia Smith: Yes, you are a gem. maple syrup. lovable. First of all, I always have, for example, pancakes before the game. I love pancakes and always need maple syrup. Honestly, I eat this with everything.

Alex: When was the last time you were actually at home in Canada?

Olivia: Oh, maybe in the summer, since I spent Christmas here.

Alex: What do you think of the house? Can you give me a picture of what life was like for you growing up at home?

Olivia: I have a younger sister, so we grew up together. My whole family was kind of goofy I’d say. So, we play games a lot, we’re always outside, and we have dogs too. I grew up with dogs and would go to the park and play soccer and play with the dogs. This is a bit like what a normal day would look like.

Alex: So your sister plays soccer?

Olivia: Yes.

Alex: What position do you play?

Olivia: Midfielder, winger, striker.

Alex: Does she look up to you and want to follow in your footsteps?

Olivia: I hope so, but she claims to be better than me!

Alex: Do you literally watch your matches and say “you should have done this” or “you should have scored that goal”?

Olivia: Yes – she sends me pictures of my toy and says “Why did you do that?” I say, well, “What would you do?”

Alex: What did she think when she moved to Arsenal?

Olivia: She was so excited. I mean she also looks up to a team like Arsenal, she loves watching me play, so I will get the opportunity and be a role model for her to play with girls like Alicia. [Russo] My guardian [Williamson]It’s amazing. She’s really excited for me.

Alex: Who do you look up to in Canada?

Olivia: Christine Sinclair. She’s a huge legend in the game, of course, and so is Marta. Then I like to watch men’s matches too, so I always looked up to Neymar, Ronaldinho, Messi and players like that.